


Prison of Darkness

by TanyaReed



Category: Castle
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fantasy, Gen, NaNoWriMo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-08
Updated: 2012-02-08
Packaged: 2017-10-30 19:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 52,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/335144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TanyaReed/pseuds/TanyaReed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castle is in trouble, and Kate has to save him.  The problem is that she'll have to start believing in something she thinks is impossible to do it.  There are graphics made for this story by both <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/815173">always-me-524</a> and <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/815182">me</a>.  Hers is better.  :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prison of Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> This story was my 2010 Nanowrimo contribution. The story takes place in November of season 3, making it some time after "3XK". The story is dedicated to my buddy x_nothing_here for all the butt kicking she did to help me get through Nano 2010. I don't think I would have finished without her.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, and I'm making no profit from this story. This is probably for the best. Look at all the fun I'm having using the characters in a non-canon way.
> 
> Oh, also, copied and pasted this in bits and pieces. If something seems disjointed and out of place, let me know, in case I made a mistake.

Kate Beckett glanced over at the man seated beside her. He was looking out the windshield, his mind miles away. She wondered if his thoughts were on the case or on something else.

After flicking her eyes to the road, she turned them back to Castle. His face was unusually serious, and his blue eyes were distant.

"Castle?" she asked. When he didn't answer, she repeated, "Castle?"

"Huh?"

"Where were you?"

He grimaced. "I hate this case."

She understood. Most of the victims of this killer were the same age as Castle's own daughter. They had been physically tortured before their deaths, and their parents had been emotionally tortured afterwards. Kate had seen Castle watching them. His face had betrayed his deep empathy. Now, it just looked shadowed.

"We'll get him."

It had been two weeks since the bodies had started piling up. There were six in all, five girls and one man in his late twenties. All had been found in hotel rooms, in their underwear, with no signs of sexual assault. That was the only indignity that their killer hadn't inflicted on the broken and bloodied bodies.

The murders had baffled Kate's team. They kept beating their heads against the walls trying to find a way inside the killer's mind. All of their efforts had left them answerless and exhausted. And then they found it. The killer became sloppy, and a crucial piece of concrete physical evidence had fallen into their laps. All they had to do was pick him up.

"What if he knows we're coming?" Castle asked, his eyes almost as shadowed as his face.

Kate found it hard to meet the eyes of a serious Castle.

"Then we'll find him," she told him simply.

They rode in silence for the next several blocks. The closer they got to Leonard Finke's apartment, the more Castle seemed to tense.

In her review mirror, Kate could see the rest of her team following close behind. Ryan and Esposito were close enough that she could see their lips move as they bickered over something.

Kate pulled into a parking lot and slammed on her breaks. Castle grunted as he was thrown forward against his seatbelt.

"All right, Castle," she said as she slammed her car into park. "Here's the deal. You stay in the car. Vest or no vest, this guy is dangerous. I don't want anyone on my team hurt."

"But..."

She felt her patience start to fray. "No buts."

He looked as if he were going to argue, but he surprised her instead by nodding in acceptance. She studied him to make sure he was being sincere before getting out to retrieve her vest from the trunk.

When her team was assembled, she went through last minute instructions and sent Ryan and Esposito to the back to cover the fire escape.

She took the rest of the team and slowly approached the tumble down apartment building. It was four stories tall, and the outside was so dingy that it was hard to tell what its original color was. Several of the windows were broken and boarded over, and there was an unmistakable odor of urine and despair.

The lock on the main door was broken and the door itself was hanging crookedly on its hinges. It squeaked as Kate pushed it aside and drew her gun.

The lobby was quiet, with no signs of life. Her eyes scanned it quickly, mindful of danger and searching for a way up to the second floor. Several dilapidated mailboxes with faded and peeling names waited by the door for their owners to come and collect the paper inside. The rest of the lobby was empty except for a striped and stained couch. Both the cushions and the stuffing that was bleeding through the thin fabric had seen better days.

There was another door across the room, near the couch. Kate made her way towards it, alert for both their suspect and innocent bystanders.

The door led to the stairwell she had been looking for. The odor increased as she opened it and it was added to by the scents of feces and unwashed bodies. Kate wrinkled her nose, but she had smelled much worse. Corpses in the hot New York summer had a stench like nothing else.

Kate took the steps two at a time, hurrying to get to the next floor. On the next landing, she peered through a small cracked window into an empty but stained hallway.

"It's clear," she said lowly.

The hallway seemed eerily quiet as they made their way to 202. Kate hoped that Javier and Kevin were in position outside.

As her team fanned around her, Kate pounded on the door.

"Leonard Finke," she said loudly, "NYPD. Open up." When there was no answer, she pounded again. "NYPD. Open the door."

Not a sound came from apartment 202. Kate waited several seconds before she motioned for the team to knock down the door.

In the loud pounding and cracking that followed, she kept her ears peeled for the sound of gunfire—or anything indicating that Finke had tried to flee. There was only silence.

After minutes that seemed like hours, the door made one more loud crack and swung violently inwards. They burst through, their guns ready.

It only took an instant to discover that the apartment was empty.

They searched every room to make sure Finke wasn't in hiding. In what was supposed to be the second bedroom, Kate made a shocking discovery. It was Finke's torture chamber. She felt her hand fly to her mouth as she took in all the sharp instruments. Her mind suddenly flashed to a scene from Naked Heat that had made her shudder when she read it.

One of the members of her team came up behind her. She turned to ask, "Anything?"

He shook his head. "No sign of Finke."

He was obviously trying not to look in the room.

"Damn." Kate ran a hand over her face in frustration. "At least we have more evidence to convict the bastard."

She went back into the deceptively normal living room to see if she could find clues to Finke's whereabouts. She was just in time to see Ryan and Esposito crawling through the window off of the fire escape.

"Finke?" Esposito asked as he straightened.

"Not here," Kate told him with a small shake of her head. "But it's definitely his place. He kept the vics here before he murdered them."

Esposito raised an eyebrow, so she told him what she found in the second bedroom. As she did, her team, armed with a warrant, went through things with expertly gloved hands.

"Do you think someone should go down and tell Cas..." Ryan started but was cut off by the sound of a woman's scream.

Kate stiffened, her senses immediately on alert. The sound came from outside. It was near enough that the sound floated clearly through the open window. An uneasy feeling had her stomach churning and her feet moving before a coherent thought had formed in her brain.

The fire escape was faster than the stairwell, so she brushed past Ryan and Esposito. She was quickly through and going down the steep stairs as quickly as she could.

She had just reached the bottom when a sound made her freeze in her tracks. She felt the blood drain from her face as the breath caught in lungs that refused to move.

It was a gunshot.

Her first thought was of Castle. He would never be able to resist trying to protect a woman in distress. It was one of his most redeeming qualities. Even though she had told him to stay in the car, she knew him well enough to know he probably hadn't.

Shaking fear and numbing thoughts from her mind, she forced her body into motion again.

This time, as she ran towards the sound of the gunshot, she could hear feet stomping down the stairs behind her. She didn't bother to turn back to see who was following. She already knew it was Ryan and Esposito.

She flew towards the alley where the sound of both shot and scream had originated. Her own gun was still in her hand.

She came around a corner, swinging around a building just as beat up and tired looking as the one Finke lived in, and her heart fluttered in her throat.

"Castle!" She couldn't stop the cry that felt as if it were being ripped from her.

Her friend was sprawled face down in the alley. The piece of his face that she could see was ashen, and a small spot of something she feared was blood was soaking slowly into the mud and grime beneath him.

The rest of the alley was empty.

Kate hurried over and knelt beside him. "Castle, can you hear me?"

Her voice sounded high and panicky in her ears.

The author didn't make a sound, so she reached over and pressed shaking fingers to his neck. Relief flooded her and sudden and surprising tears threatened as she felt a weak and uneven pulse. Angrily, she forced tears down and turned towards the footstep coming up behind her.

Ryan and Esposito had mirroring expressions of horror, shock, and disbelief. Kate didn't even allow them to slow down.

"Find him," she ordered. "He can't be far. And he's got another victim."

The men, both white faced, nodded and ran off down the alley without a word.

She didn't bother to watch. Instead, she was pressing a button and saying urgently, "Officer down! Officer down! This is Detective Kate Beckett, badge number 41319..." She rattled off her location and some details before hanging up and returning her attention to Castle.

She didn't dare to touch him because she wasn't sure where he was hurt. Instead, she took off her jacket and draped it over him.

"It's going to be all right, Castle. The paramedics are on their way. I won't leave you."

For some reason, that last part seemed very important to her.

The ambulance was there in minutes. When the paramedics turned Castle over, Kate saw the wound and the blood. Her body went cold, but she tried to tell herself that she had seen worse in officers who had later lived to tell the tale.

As they loaded Castle into the ambulance, she didn't waste words asking if Castle would be okay. Instead, she asked, "Can I ride with him?"

The paramedic studied her face. She knew it must be as white as death itself. He simply said, "Yes, if you don't get in the way."

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever. The paramedic worked on Castle the whole way, and Kate watched her friend's chest closely. Its rise and fall was erratic, but it never ceased.

When her cell phone went off, she got a sharp look from the paramedic. She shrugged in apology, but, when she saw the call was from Esposito, she answered it anyway.

"Beckett," she said softly, not wanting to disturb Castle or the EMT any further.

"Yeah, it's me. Where are you?" There was a lot of noise in the background. Kate had to strain to hear him.

"I'm in the ambulance with Castle. What's happening?"

Kate was grateful that he didn't ask how Castle was doing. She didn't want to think of the answer to that question. "We caught him. With the struggling girl, he couldn't get far, and he didn't want to let go of his prize. She fought him and distracted him enough that we were able to disarm him. We're all okay, including the intended vic."

Well, that was something, anyway.

"Okay. Good job. I'll call you when I get to the hospital."

There was a pause before he asked, "Should I call his family?"

"No. I want to do it. As soon as we get him into the hands of some doctors, I'll let them know what's going on."

Martha and Alexis. Kate felt her stomach roll as she thought of the two most important people in Castle's life. How was she going to tell them about this? They had trusted her to keep him safe.

She ended the call, forgetting to say good-bye. Her eyes met those of the paramedic, and she asked, "How is he doing?"

"He's alive."

"Is he going to be okay?"

The man's eyes slid away, but he answered honestly. "I don't know."

This wasn't what Kate wanted to hear.

XXX

Things seemed to go by in a blur after that. They arrived at the hospital and Castle was taken away from her. There were bodies and confusion for a few minutes, and then awful silence. During the tumult, Kate had studied faces, and none of them looked hopeful or positive. There was just grave determination, and she knew what that meant. They expected Castle to die.

She wasn't quite ready to examine how that made her feel. She shoved those feelings, along with the guilt, deep down inside of herself so that she could make the call she needed to make.

It was going to be one of the the hardest phone calls of her life.

Not willing to break the no cell phone rule and unable to step out for fear she'd miss news of Castle, Kate decided to use the pay phone located in a little alcove in the waiting room. As she picked up the receiver, she noticed that her hand was shaking. She stared at it for a moment, a wave of fear suddenly rising up to try to overwhelm her. It was with great difficulty that she tamped it down, shoving it back and steadying her hand with willpower alone.

Once her hand was steady, she pressed the numbers. The wait as the rings started was excruciating. She wanted Martha to answer them quickly and, at the same time, she never wanted them to end.

"Hello."

It was Alexis. Kate hadn't expected Alexis to answer the phone, and for a moment she was speechless.

"Hello? Is someone there?" The young voice came again, this time with a hint of uncertainty.

"Alexis?" Kate forced her lips to move. "Alexis, it's Detective Beckett."

The voice turned puzzled. "Are you looking for my Dad? I thought he was going out with you today."

Kate swallowed.

"Detective Beckett, are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm here." She took a calming breath. "I'm calling about your Dad."

Alexis must have heard it in Kate's tone because she sounded panicked when she demanded, "What happened?"

"Is your grandmother there?"

"What happened?" she demanded again, sounding suddenly older than her seventeen years.

"Alexis, honey, your father's been shot."

There was a thump, and then everything went quiet. Kate was afraid that Alexis had fainted.

"Alexis? Alexis?"

After a moment, there was a faint, "I'm here. I'm sorry. I dropped the phone. How bad is it? Is my Dad going to be okay?"

"I don't know. They haven't told me anything, but you and your grandmother should get here right away."

"Okay... I'll go get Gram."

Kate heard the girl put the phone down. She took a deep breath, preparing to tell Martha the details and which hospital Castle was at.

Somehow, Kate managed to get through the rest of the call. Martha sounded upset, it was obvious she was forcibly holding herself together, but she asked pointed and logical questions. Kate tried to hide how upset she was herself, but she didn't think it worked. Martha was a shrewd woman.

Finally, when Kate had told all there was to tell, she hung up the phone. She turned to exit the alcove, but her legs wouldn't move. They started to tremble wildly, and she had to either grab the wall or pitch forward.

It's my fault, flashed through her mind.

Kate couldn't deny it or hide from it anymore. With her hand still on the wall, she entered the empty waiting room. It was white but dim and way too quiet. Soon, it would be filled by Alexis and Martha and probably Ryan and Esposito. Castle was family to each of them in different ways, and they would all want to be here. For now, though, Kate was alone, and that was what she needed.

She didn't make it to a chair. Within three steps, her legs were finally giving out. Kate stopped and allowed herself to slide to the floor.

Now there was nothing left to do, everything came flooding in on her. Unbelievable sorrow. Crushing guilt. Gut wrenching fear. Richard Castle was probably going to die, and it was all her fault.

For the second time in the last month, she found herself facing life without him, and the thought scared the hell out of her. She didn't know how he had come to mean so much to her. All she knew was that if he died, a piece of her would die with him.

She drew her knees up against her chest and hugged them. Her face felt way too hot, but the rest of her felt as if it were made of ice.

This was her fault. The thought came again. She accepted it, caressed it. She was supposed to keep him safe. She had promised Alexis—promised herself. How was she supposed to look Alexis in the eyes? Eyes that were the image of her father's.

Kate shuddered violently.

"Please let him be okay," she pleaded in her mind.

She sat there for what seemed like a long time, warring with her swirling emotions. She buried her face in her knees and let herself go.

XXX

By the time Alexis and Martha got there, Kate was back on her feet, her moment of weakness gone. She had plastered a mask on her face and had once more stopped her body's rebellious shaking.

"Kate!" Alexis cried as she came through the door.

Kate only had a second to prepare herself before she found her arms full of grief stricken girl. Alexis clung to Kate as Kate forced herself to meet Martha's eyes over the teenager's head.

"Have you heard anything?" Martha asked, a crack in her voice.

"Not yet."

Martha nodded and went around the corner to the nurse's desk. Kate hoped that the nurses would be more forthcoming with his mother than they had been with her.

Alexis pulled from Kate. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes had a bruised and hunted look. Faint traces of tear tracks stained her cheeks, and her color was blotchy.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Kate wished that she could lie, but Castle had never really lied to his daughter, and she wouldn't either.

"I haven't heard anything since I called you. It's pretty bad, though."

Alexis's lip trembled a little, as if she had been hoping her fears were for nothing.

"We'll know more when they do."

Martha rejoined them and said simply, "He's in surgery. The doctor will be out to see us when it's over."

"How long?" Alexis asked, moving from Kate to her grandmother.

Martha wrapped her arms around her granddaughter. "Hours yet, kiddo."

"Hours?"

"Yes, but your father is a fighter. Don't give up on him."

It made Kate's heart hurt to look at them, so she went over and sat in a chair. She clenched her hands into fists and waited.

She was still sitting there two hours later when Ryan and Esposito came in. Alexis had settled in the chair beside Kate and had fallen asleep. Her head was on Kate's shoulder, and the older woman was trying not to do anything to wake her.

Martha was pacing. Kate could see the worry written plainly on Castle's mother's face. So far, the media hadn't been alerted, so at least she didn't have to deal with that along with the possibility of losing her son.

Martha stopped pacing when Kate's boys appeared.

"Any news?" they asked as one.

"Not yet," she told them, giving each detective a brief hug.

"We're real sorry, Mrs. R," Ryan told her earnestly.

Martha's hand came up to touch his cheek gently. "It's not your fault, dear. Richard is constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was bound to catch up with him."

"Mrs. Rodgers?" A woman came up behind Martha. She was a small woman, blond with thin cheeks and careworn eyes. She was also dressed in bloody scrubs and a mask hung limply from her neck.

Martha turned, but not before Kate saw the fear in her face.

"I'm Martha Rogers. Is my son going to be all right?"

The doctor looked so tired that Kate's stomach tightened as she prepared herself for the bad news. As if Alexis felt something was happening, she stirred in her sleep but didn't awaken.

"Richard made it through the surgery."

Kate sighed heavily in relief.

"And?" Martha prodded.

"And now we wait. If he makes it through the night, there's a good chance we won't lose him. But it's going to be along recovery."

"Can I see him?"

"Let's give him a little longer first. I'll send someone out to get you."

Kate felt something begin to blossom in her chest like a phoenix rising from the ashes. She wasn't sure, but she thought it might just be hope.

XXX

When the time came, Martha and Alexis both refused to go home to bed. Kate considered leaving, but the thought of going home almost physically hurt, so she ended up staying with them. Eventually, Martha and Alexis were allowed in to see Castle, and Kate, left to worry by herself, felt very alone.

Esposito and Ryan came and went, balancing their processing of Finke with their concern for Castle. In a way, Kate wished she were able to go back to work, to shove everything down and work until she was numb. But she just couldn't do it. She couldn't leave until she knew that Castle was going to live.

It was three thirty when Martha and Alexis emerged from Castle's room. Kate was waiting in another waiting room, as dim and as white as the first. She looked up from a six month old Entertainment Weekly. Martha looked as if she had aged a hundred years in one night. Her face was haggard and worn. Alexis's eyes were red and puffy, and it was obvious she had been crying again.

"Bad?" Kate asked softly.

Martha nodded. "But alive."

"Are you okay?" she asked Alexis.

"No," the girl admitted in a shaky voice, "but I will be."

Martha put her arm around her granddaughter and squeezed. "Good girl."

Kate briefly wished she had someone to give her an encouraging squeeze.

"Did you want to go in?" Martha asked.

"Me?"

"Go in, Kate. He'd want you to."

She didn't need any more prodding. As she passed Martha, she touched her arm gently, conveying what support she could. Guilt threatened again, but she swallowed it. There would be time for self blame after she was sure Castle would be all right.

Kate had started quickly, but the closer she got to Castle's room, the slower her feet went. Her mind started thinking about what she would see once she entered his room. At the door, she hesitated before putting out her hand and firmly opening it.

What she saw was as bad as she had feared. Tubes and wires covered him-over, under, and through his body, it seemed. His face, what she could see of it, was the color of porcelain, and her eyes flicked quickly to his chest to assure herself he was still breathing.

Shutting the door behind her, she moved further into the room. The beep of the machines and the quiet sighing of the respirator were the only sounds in the still room.

"Hi," she said softly, wondering if he could hear her.

There was a chair by his bed. She moved it closer and sat. She placed her hand beside his but didn't quite touch it.

"I have to tell you, you look awful."

This comment was more for herself than for him. It helped to ease the tension in her head and in her chest.

"I want you to know," she continued more seriously, "that we got him. He's rotting in a jail cell, and there's no way his lawyer can get him out of this. The girl you tried to save, she's okay too. You did it. She's home with her family. Her mother came to check on you. She's grateful..."

Kate trailed off as her throat tightened. There was so much she wanted to say, but she didn't think she'd be able to say it. She wasn't the word smith that Castle was. She knew that if she were lying there in that hospital bed, he'd be telling her tales of his outrageous exploits. Kate didn't have any outrageous exploits she wanted to share. She couldn't even summon the words to tell him that somehow he had become her best friend and that she was terrified that she would be lost without him. Those weren't the things Kate Beckett said-at least not to Rick Castle.

Tiredly, she rubbed at her eyes and tried to think of something to say that wouldn't thicken her throat or make her eyes burn.

It took awhile, so she just sat there watching his chest rise and fall. The beeping of the machines became less jarring and almost soothing.

Eventually, she cleared her throat and said, "Ryan and Esposito were here. They wanted me to tell yo to quit lying around and get back to work." She paused, then continued, "You'd be proud of Alexis. She's a very strong girl."

Suddenly, a memory flooded through Kate's mind. She had been here before, in this same hospital, feeling these same feelings of crushing guilt and fear. It had been another man who was shot, another man fighting for his life. That was the first time Castle told her she was extraordinary. That day, and the days that followed, held both good and terrible moments. She thought she was going to lose so much-Will, her sanity, Castle himself. Even so, that one moment with Castle had made her realize that they had moved from colleagues to friends. It was also the first time that she really realized what he thought of her. She wondered now if, almost a year and a half later, she had ever tarnished his vision of her.

"You know," she said softly, "this is the point where you'd usually tell some silly story...or go completely against character and do something sweet. I'm not like you. I don't always know the right thing to say. I just know that you'd better not die." She forced her tone lighter. "You'd better not die, Castle, or I'll kill you."

There was a soft knock on the door, and Kate turned. Her hand brushed Castle's, and she was tempted to clasp his fingers, but she didn't.

"Detective Beckett?"

"Yes?"

"Mr. Castle should rest now. You can come back to see him in a couple of hours."

"Okay," she answered, both reluctant and relieved.

The nurse went out and Kate glanced at her watch. Four thirty. Just three more hours until daylight.

"Come on, Castle. Three hours. You can make it."

This time, she did touch his hand. It was as covered with wires and tubes as the rest of his body, so she gently ran her fingers over his. Then, feeling very foolish and slightly embarrassed, she bent forward and placed a kiss on his forehead. Her cheeks flamed, but she was still glad she had done it.

XXX

Another hour later found her sitting with Alexis and Martha. The girl had once more succumbed to sleep, but this time she slept on her grandmother's shoulder. Kate sat on Martha's other side, fighting sleep herself.

Martha hadn't slept a wink either. Her face had gotten more pale and drawn as the night progressed. Kate had tried to keep her talking to keep her mind off of what was happening just a hallway away. The older woman smiled occasionally, but Kate knew her efforts all ended in failure.

Now, the two of them were mostly silent. The only sound was that of Alexis's soft snores.

"You can't blame yourself," Martha's voice came to Kate softly.

Kate started slightly at the unexpected sound and turned to look at the woman beside her.

"He was my responsibility," she answered lowly. "It was my job to keep him out of the line of fire."

"We both know Richard goes where and does whatever he wants. You can't take the weight of this on your shoulders."

"I left him in the car," Kate said.

"Of course you did, dear. And he probably got out as soon as your back was turned."

Kate's eyes left Martha's face to stare at the hands twined in her lap.

"You are a good woman, Kate."

Her eyes went back to Martha's. Not Detective Beckett. Not dear. Not the loving kiddo. Kate.

"Richard rarely bring home someone with as much character as you have, and he certainly doesn't become friends with her when he does. Somehow, you were different." Kate didn't know what to say to this, so she was silent while Martha continued, "You are a good influence on my son. You ground him, make him think. He's so impulsive that he needs someone to slow him down." She placed her hand over Kate's. "I think he's good for you too."

"Me too," Kate admitted in a whisper. She thought about all the times Castle had saved her life, and she thought about their talk after she shot the man who had killed her mother. Her words then had been true. Castle brought the smile and light that she hadn't even realized she needed into her life. Without him, she, ironically, probably wouldn't have opened up enough to try with Tom Demming or with Josh...

Kate's eyes flew open, and she was no longer sleepy.

"My God, Martha, we forgot to call Gina."

Castle's mother looked as surprised as Kate felt, so she knew it hadn't been a purposeful oversight.

"I'll do it," Kate offered, since Alexis still clung to her grandmother, even in sleep. She got up slowly, stretching stiff limbs. Before making her way to the little alcove hiding the phone, she put her hand on Castle's mother's shoulder. "Thank you."

Martha managed to smile warmly through her worry, and Kate smiled back.

She didn't realize it wasn't quite six yet until she started dialing. Being a cop, she was used to being awake and on the run at different hours of the day or night, and she sometimes forgot that other people didn't keep that kind of schedule.

"Hello," a sleepy voice answered after the forth ring.

It was a nice voice, she thought. Gina hadn't really seemed like a real person to her before. Despite meeting her at a couple of writer functions of Castle's, and of course that one day last spring, Gina had always seemed more of an idea than a living, breathing woman.

"Gina?"

"Yes, this is Gina."

"Gina, it's Kate Beckett. Sorry about calling you so early."

"Kate Beckett?" Gina's voice was suddenly more alert. "Is this about Rick?"

"Yes. I have some bad news."

"Oh, my God." She sounded breathless, afraid. Kate suddenly knew for certain that whatever else Gina's thoughts and feelings were for Rick, she genuinely cared for him.

"Castle was shot last night..."

"Shot?" Gina interrupted. "Is he dead?"

"No." Kate had to stop to clear her throat. "No, he's still alive, but it's still touch and go. They're pretty sure that he'll live, if he can just last through the night."

"Where are you?"

"St. Michael's Hospital."

"I'll be right..." Gina started, then stopped. After a pause, she asked, "Do you think Martha and Alexis would mind..."

"The more support, the better," Kate said firmly.

"Okay, I'll be right there, and, Detective Beckett?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

XXX

By the time the sun was coming up, the small waiting room was strewn with bodies. Not only had Gina arrived, and been warmly welcomed by Alexis, but soon after they were joined by Ryan and Esposito.

When the doctor appeared, Kate was talking to Esposito about Finke. Gina was softly talking to Alexis in one corner, gently trying to get the teenager to eat, and Ryan had taken it upon himself to distract Martha.

All voices ceased as the petite blond doctor approached.

"He's stabilized," she said abruptly. "As long as he doesn't have a set back, he'll make it."

At first, you could have heard a pin drop after her announcement. Then, the silence was broken by a single rough sob from Alexis.

Martha rushed forward to hold her, while Gina stood and asked, "Is he awake?"

"No," the doctor admitted, "but that's not necessarily a bad sign. Sometimes, the body needs to sleep so it can heal."

"Will we be able to see him?"

"We're moving him to a different room, but, in and hour, after everything's settled, he should be able to have visitors, as long as you are quiet and don't stay long."

Kate suddenly felt numb. She knew she should be smiling as widely as Ryan and Esposito were. Instead, all emotion and all tension melted out of her body, making her feel limp. In fact, her legs were so shaky that she almost collapsed. She sank into the nearest chair with one thought on her mind.

Thank God.

Alexis still had tears streaming down her cheeks, but she was smiling so wide that her dimples were in full view. Martha's face was slowly starting to retain some of its color. Unknowingly, she echoed Kate's thought aloud.

"Thank God."

Gina seemed isolated, and Kate, despite herself, wanted to reach out to her. Still, she didn't know what to do or say, and she didn't know if a gesture from her would be welcomed. When Gina's eyes met hers, Kate made an attempt to smile. Gina's smile was just as feeble, but it was there, and it was genuine.

After the doctor left, Ryan and Esposito went up to Martha and Alexis. They each said something so quietly that Kate couldn't hear them, but she did see the gentle hand Ryan placed on Martha's forearm.

When they were through, Esposito said, "The Captain doesn't want to see you today, Beckett. Get some sleep and come back tomorrow."

His eyes searched her face in a way she wasn't sure she liked before he and Ryan turned and left.

Gina left soon after to go to work, but Kate stayed until she didn't think she could go for another minute without sleep. She left, promising Martha and Alexis that she would be back to check on Castle in the evening.

It was noon by the time she got home, or as close to home as the hotel room she had been living in for six months could be. As she stumbled in, she realized that it had been thirty one hours since she last slept.

Without the pressure of work or worry, her body and mind decided they needed to sleep. Her eyes felt dry and gritty, and she blinked them. The room swam a little, so she locked the door behind her and headed straight to the bed. She shed her coat and shoes on the way, leaving them where they fell on the floor. At the bed, she slid out of her pants and wiggled out of her shirt. Though it was November, she didn't bother with pajamas. She was too tired for that.

She was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.

As Kate slept, she dreamed. There were images. Voices. At one point, she thought she heard Castle calling her name. She chased him through strange fields and dark wooded places. She ran and ran but never caught him. Her running grew more frantic and she started screaming his name. There were other voices, other shadowy shapes. She wasn't sure who was friend or who was foe. She didn't know if they could even see her at all. All she knew was that she had to get to Castle. She had to catch him before something terrible happened and she lost him forever.

It was seven hours later when she woke again, the urgency in her bladder making it impossible to sleep any longer. Her head, muddled with sleep, was filled with strange images and strange noises. She could still hear Castle's voice in her ear. And there was another voice. Though it had been in a dream, the memory of the second voice brought goose bumps to her skin.

She shook her head trying to completely cross from the land of sleeping to the land of waking. Her body cried for both the bathroom and a shower. Her stomach growled and added its voice to the mix. Even so, the first thing she did was reach for her phone and call the hospital.

"St. Michaels."

The voice sounded too cheery.

"This is Detective Kate Beckett. I'm calling to check on a patient."

"Are you a relative?"

"No, but he's my..." He's my what? She wondered. My writer? My friend? My annoying know it all? My one person I think I can depend on? She settled for, "He's my partner."

"We cannot divulge status over the phone to non family members."

Kate sighed. "Fine. There's a Martha Rodgers in the waiting room on this floor. May I speak to her?"

"One moment, please." The voice was no longer cheerful.

Still, it was only a few minutes later when she heard, "Kate?"

"How's he doing?"

"Mostly the same, but they say he's getting stronger."

"Has he been awake yet?"

"No, but they don't seem worried."

"How are you doing?"

"As well as can be expected."

"I'm just going to take a shower, and then I'm coming to check on him in person."

"You're a good friend, Kate," Martha said sincerely, then paused.

"What is it?" She frowned, worry making her tense slightly.

"I want to bring Alexis home so she can sleep. The poor girl is exhausted, but I don't want to leave Richard alone. I don't want to impose..."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Kate promised her. "I won't leave him."

"Thank you."

Once Kate was reassured that Castle was still stable, her bladder once more made itself known.

She was still in the shower when the phone rang. Afraid that it might be about Castle, she quickly turned off the spray and leaped from the tub. Not even bothering with a towel, she hurried to the main room and reached for her cell phone.

With relief, she noted that it displayed Lanie's name and number right before she answered with, "Beckett."

"Kate? It's Lanie."

"Hi, Lanie."

Kate suddenly realized how wet and naked she was. The air in the room was brisk because she hadn't bothered much with the heat. Her hair clung to her face and shoulders, steadily dripping water over her face and down her body. There was a small continuous chorus of pattering sounds as water droplets hit the carpet.

"Where are you?"

That was an odd question to ask, but Kate knew why she asked it. "I'm home. I'm going to be heading back to the hospital in a few minutes. You heard?"

"I heard. How's he doing?"

"He's going to make it." Kate hated the little catch that appeared in her voice.

"And?"

"It was a bad one."

"How are you doing?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"I'm fine."

"Mmm hmmn."

"Really, Lanie. I'm fine."

And that's why she was standing in her bedroom, dripping a waterfall onto the carpet.

"Call me if you need to talk."

"I will. Listen, I've got to go. I'm kind of naked."

"Naked?" Lanie loaded a whole lot of questions into that one little word.

"I was in the shower."

"The shower, huh?"

"Yes, the shower."

"Okay, then. Call me later. Will you be home tonight?"

"It depends."

"Well, call me no matter what time it is."

"Okay. Okay. I'll call."

"And, Kate?"

"Yes?"

"Tell Castle I'm glad he's okay."

"I will." Kate smiled. "Bye, Lanie."

XXX

When Kate arrived at the hospital, Alexis and Martha were having a hushed but serious conversation. They stopped talking as she entered the room.

The detective stopped and asked, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Gram wants me to go home," Alexis said, her chin set stubbornly. "I think Dad needs me here."

"You could probably both use some rest."

Alexis shook her head. "He shouldn't be alone."

"He won't be," Kate assured her. "I told your grandmother I'd stay with him tonight."

"You will?" Alexis studied her face.

"Yes."

Indecision went over the young woman's face. Then, she looked at her grandmother, and she seemed to be taking in what a sleepless day and night had done to Martha.

"You'll call if he wakes up?"

"Yes."

"You'll call if he gets worse?"

"Yes."

"You'll call if anything happens at all?"

"I promise."

"Okay," she capitulated. "You don't mind?"

"I don't mind," she said sincerely.

Alexis glanced at her grandmother again. "You're right, Gram. I am tired."

She went over and put her arm around Martha's waist, and they walked out together. Kate watched them go, not quite sure who was supporting whom.

She waited until they were out of sight before entering Castle's room. She was pleasantly surprised to see that there weren't quite as many wires, and some of the color had come back to his face.

Kate made her way to the chair beside his bed, hoping it would be more comfortable than she remembered. Shedding her jacket, she prepared to settle in for the night.

"I see that you're still lying around," she said, forcing cheer into her voice.

She studied his face carefully, looking for any signs of consciousness. There were none.

"Since you are such lousy company, I brought something to read." She reached down to the bag she had dropped at her feet. It contained her cell phone (turned off), her money, wallet, and badge, a mirror, her toothbrush and toothpaste, and... "I thought this would amuse you."

She hauled out a Derrick Storm novel and waved it at Castle.

"You know," she said after a moment, "This is the very first Derrick Storm novel I ever read."

It was true. Kate remembered it clearly. Not long after her mother's death, she had been browsing the bookstore looking for something, anything, to distract her from the horror of her own life. The bold cover, full of splashy color but with an underlying darkness, had leaped out at her. It caught her attention enough for her to pull out the book and read the information on the jacket. The story synopsis was intriguing. Painful and terrifying for the characters, but intriguing. There was something else too. It was something she didn't even recognize until she got almost to the end of the novel. It was a faint glimmer of light amid the darkness. Kate had really needed to believe it could exist, and that simple detective novel had succeeded in making her feel just a little lighter.

She thought about sharing this with the unconscious Castle. The thought turned around in her mind as she looked at it from all angles. Kate even opened her mouth to speak, but she closed it again. Some day she would be brave enough to tell him, but not today.

XXX

There was sunshine. Sunshine and birds singing. Kate looked around, seeing nothing but blue skies and wilderness stretching out in all directions.

It was warm, and not just warm for November. Kate was glad she wasn't wearing her jacket as the sun warmed her skin and a soft breeze caressed her face. That same breeze played with her hair, blowing it gently into her eyes and tickling her cheek.

She was standing in a meadow. The grass was very green and long. It was so high that the tips of it touched her knees. There were flowers in the grass. Blues and pinks and purples and whites ran riot throughout the green. It felt almost like paradise.

Everything was sharply in focus. The sights. The sounds. The smells. She knew she was dreaming; she had to be. They didn't make sights and sounds and smells like that in New York.

Kate took a step forward, her legs parting the long grass.

She tangled her fingers in the thin strands, and let them run through her hands. Sudden pain made her gasp in surprise. It had been so long since she'd played in the grass that she had forgotten how sharp the edges could be. Frowning, she brought her finger up and eyed the small cut that was already seeping a small bit of blood.

She put the side of her finger in her mouth and said a very intelligent, "Ow."

XXX

Kate opened her eyes to find her forehead resting gently against Castle's upper arm. Machines were sill beeping a steady rhythm, and she could feel the warmth of him from where skin met skin. Her Derrick Storm book was on the floor, open, with some of the pages slightly bent.

She must have fallen asleep.

Kate sat up slowly, feeling a little groggy. A slight sting in her finger made her look at it closely. There was a long shallow cut along the outside, just like the one in her dream. She must have cut her finger on the chair and then dreamed about it. She wondered if that is what woke her.

Shrugging the minuscule injury off, she studied Castle's face. She wondered when he'd wake up. She also wondered if he'd wake up and find her there. Kate's face colored at the thought.

The door opened, and Kate turned to see Martha in the doorway. A quick check of her wrist told Kate that it was just barely 6 am.

"How is he?" Martha whispered. She looked slightly better for the small amount of sleep she had allowed herself.

"It's been quiet here all night," Kate told her softly.

"Has he been awake?"

Kate shook her head. "No. I would have called you."

She fished under the chair and retrieved her book before putting it back in the bag. She had a couple of hours before work and decided to best use of that time would probably be another nap.

XXX

Kate was sill a little groggy when she walked into the station somewhere between ten and eleven that morning. She felt eyes on her as she walked by the other detectives, and a few conversations trailed off.

"Beckett?"

Finally, someone spoke. Kate turned to see Karpowski regarding her solemnly.

"As long as there are no complications, he's going to recover fully."

Conversations started up again, and Kate saw several smiles appear. Castle was a station favorite, and even those not in homicide knew of him.

She stopped by Ryan's and Esposito's desks on the way to her own.

"So, what are we working on?" she asked.

The two of them had been quietly bickering, but they stopped and looked up at her question. Esposito motioned to Ryan, who held up a folder.

"The vic is Ian Woon, a thirty-five year old administrative assistant. He worked for Howard and Emma Tutweiller," Esposito told her.

Kate frowned and took the folder from the younger man. "As in the Tutweillers of Tutweiller's Real Estate?"

"That would be them."

"He was killed with a shovel," Ryan supplied.

"A shovel?"

"Yeah. Someone whacked him in the head."

"Ouch."

"That's what he said," Esposito replied.

Kate rolled her eyes at him and flipped open the folder. Just as she had been told, a young man stared sightlessly out of them, a pool of blood and stuff she didn't want to want to think about haloing his blond hair.

"Do you have the murder weapon?"

"No." Esposito shook his head.

"Then how...?"

"The shape of the wound and the metal fragments."

"Where was he found?" She studied the pictures.

"In his apartment."

She looked up from the pictures to see if Esposito were joking. He looked completely serious.

"Someone carried a shovel into the vic's apartment and no one noticed?"

"We have uniforms canvassing the building, but so far nothing."

"He lived on the twelfth floor," Ryan added helpfully.

Kate drew her brow together in puzzlement and continued to browse the file. There wasn't much on the vic. He was single and lived alone. There were no pets. His parents were from New Jersey.

There was a lot more information on his employers. The Tutweillers were practically famous. You couldn't go anywhere without seeing one of them smiling from the side of a bus or watching you from some giant billboard.

"Keep me posted on any new info," she told them as she carried the file to her desk.

As Kate went to sit down, her mind flashed back to the strange dreams she had been having. First, there was the one of chasing a shadowy Castle, and then there were the two she had since. (One of them while she was sitting with Castle, and the other when she went home for her nap.) Both of them had been brief, peaceful sojourns in a field of knee deep grass and colorful flowers. She had never dreamed of grassy fields before. There hadn't been many fields in Manhattan while she was growing up. It had to be the stress.

Her desk welcomed her back, but it was strange to be sitting there without Castle in his chair beside her. It reminded her of the long, lonely summer that had just passed, making her sad.

The best thing she could do was to immerse herself in her work. Life always seemed so far away when she was working. The victims lives—and deaths—seemed so much more important than hers when she was searching for the truth.

She opened the file again and scanned the pictures and details of Mr. Ian Woon's life. They were as brief as before. Lanie's report was tucked in after that, and Kate found herself wondering again how someone managed to bring a gardening implement inside an apartment building in New York City without being noticed.

The reading material on the Tutweillers was very interesting. It gave good background details, including the fact that Emma Tutweiller had been arrested for prostitution in her teens. That was something you didn't see on the buses or billboards.

At the moment, the Tutweillers were the only suspects. Howard Tutweiller had been observed having a fight with the victim the day before he died, and it was rumoured around the real estate office that Emma Tutweiller was having an affair with the younger Ian. Kate wished she had been able to interview Howard and Emma Tutweiller herself.

Once she had read everything there was to know so far about the case, she went over to have a good look at the murder board. The time line was written out neatly—it looked like Ryan's printing. Esposito's was usually an indecipherable scrawl—with all the details meticulously filled in. Beside the time line, pictures of the victim—blond, smiling Ian Woon—and both of the Tutweillers watched her. Mr. Tutweiller looked serious. He was the only one not smiling.

Kate realized suddenly that she hadn't read anything about Ian's family in the file. It said he was born in New Jersey but nothing else. Who were his parents? Did he have any brothers or sisters? Was there anyone at home who could have wanted him dead?

She beckoned to Ryan, who was standing nearby.

"Who talked to the parents?" she asked.

"That was Esposito. He called them. They should be in this afternoon. They've got to identify the body, and he wanted to ask them some questions.

Kate nodded. "I'd like to be in on that."

"Sure, boss."

She looked at her watch. It was only noon. "I'm going to take a look at the crime scene. When the Woon's get here, give me a call."

"Okay."

XXX

Ian Woon lived in a nice apartment building. It wasn't opulent, but there was some security. There were cameras too, one in the main lobby and one for the elevators, but they hadn't shown anything.

Kate took the elevator to the twelfth floor. It was a large elevator, with dark wood inlay. So far, she really liked the building and wondered if they had any vacancies. It would be nice to get out of her hotel room and into a place she could call home.

As the doors opened, Kate smiled at the uniformed officer who was waiting to get in. She knew him, so she asked, "Anything?"

"No one saw anything."

"Have you talked to everyone?"

"We've got a couple of floors left."

She nodded and continued down the hallway to 1209. There was police tape blocking the entrance. The yellow X showed up starkly against the muted beige and walnut of the hallway.

Kate fished a key out of her pocket and carefully reached through the tape to unlock the door.

Her first impression of the apartment was one of neatness. Despite the obvious signs of a recent struggle and the blood stains, the rest of the place was tidy. Beige walls that matched the halls held a few pictures, most of them large, black and white still lifes. The main door opened into the living area, which had a huge flat screen TV against one wall and a floor to ceiling bookcase against another. The carpet matched the walls, but it was marred with deep red stains and the remains of something that could have been white wine. Both a couch and a coffee table were overturned, and magazines fanned out over the floor.

Kate knelt beside the biggest stain to study it. A faint chalk outline surrounded it and made its way off to the left. She brought up the memory of the crime scene photos in her mind to compare.

One question kept rattling around in her head. Why would the killer have used a shovel? It was the most impractical murder weapon that could have been used. It must have been symbolic, but symbolic of what?

Kate studied the carpet around the outline, disregarding the blood spatter, not really hoping to find anything.

She stood and walked the few steps to the upended couch. She looked it over and was going to move on to the coffee table when a sparkle caught her eye. Moving the fabric of the couch over with a gloved hand, she found a piece of glass. A piece of thin glass. Wine glass thin? she wondered. Curiously, she lifted the couch and found more pieces. Most were as tiny as the first, but there was a bigger, curved piece. Definitely part of a wine glass.

Held by the victim...or by the killer?

It was a long shot, but Kate put the glass in a bag and labeled it. She'd send it to forensics and see if there was any DNA on it that didn't belong to the victim. Maybe Ian Woon had a glass of wine with the crazed, shovel wielding person who killed him.

There were a couple of framed pictures on the floor, Kate noted as she was crouched picking up the glass. They might have fallen off the coffee table. They showed a younger, more alive version of Woon. One of them was similar to the one hanging on the murder board, except in this one, he was with another young man. The two men had similar features, but the second was dark where Woon was light. He was chubby with shoulder length curly hair and braces. Kate guessed he was Woon's cousin or brother. Another picture was obviously of the victim's parents. The two young boys with them supported Kate's supposition about the curly haired man.

Kate looked around a little longer before deciding there was nothing left to find. She took her glass and hurried out, hoping she'd be in time to catch Mr. and Mrs. Woon.

XXX

"Are they here yet?" were the first words out of Kate's mouth when she entered the station after dropping the glass off for analysis. The question was asked of Esposito, who was at his desk making notes.

"Yeah," he answered. "We were just going to call you. Ryan's with them, in there."

Kate entered the room he indicated and saw Ryan just about to sit down. Across from him sat three people, and Kate recognized faces from the photographs on the floor in Woon's apartment. All three were older, but they were easily identifiable as those in the family photograph.

Mr. and Mrs. Woon were in their late fifties or early sixties. His hair was still dark, with almost no gray to show his true age, but his face was well lined with years of care and worry. The lines were even deeper than normal, she could tell, in this time of grief. Mrs. Woon, on the other hand, was a small, delicate woman whose once blond hair was now as white as snow. Traces of the original color lurked among the white, but just barely enough to show what once had been there.

With them was a man, about Kate's own age, with puffy cheeks and uncontrollably curly hair. His eyes were downcast, and his expression was unreadable.

Kate closed the door behind her, and Detective Ryan looked up at the click.

"Mr. and Mrs. Woon, this is the senior detective on the case, Detective Kate Beckett."

Three sets of eyes turned to look at her.

"Beckett, Andrea and Andrew Woon and their son Michael."

Kate nodded at the Woons and sat down beside Ryan.

"First of all," she said, "I want to say that I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Detective Beckett," Andrea Woon replied. "Can you tell us what happened to our son? Is it true that he was murdered? With a shovel?"

Kate glanced at Ryan, who said, "Yes, it's true. Do you know if your son had any enemies or if anyone would want to do him any harm?"

"No, I don't," she told them after thinking for a moment. "Ian wasn't very social, but the friends he had were loyal and good people."

"How long has Ian been living in New York?" Kate asked.

"A couple of years."

"Did you talk to him often?"

"Every day or two."

"He seemed happy," his father put in. "He was working for that big real estate company."

"Did he have a girlfriend?" Ryan asked.

Both parents looked at Michael. "Not that I know of. He never mentioned anyone. He had a few friends he hung out with after work, but they were all guys."

"Do you know their names, Michael?" Kate asked.

He frowned, thinking. "Norman and Nick and...Eric, I think."

She wrote these names down so she could find out more about them. "Is there anything more you can think of that we might need to know? Think carefully. Anything could be important, even something tiny."

The three of them shared a look, and it was Mr. Woon who answered, "I don't think so."

"If you do think of anything, please call." Kate stood and handed her business card to Mrs. Woon.

"We will," the older woman promised. "You'll tell us if you find anything?"

Kate nodded. "Of course. Thank you for coming in."

When the door closed behind them, Kate handed Ryan her piece of paper. "Find out who Norman, Nick, and Eric are and how well our vic knew them. Have the Tutweillers established alibis yet?"

"They are both saying they were with their friends Mark and Mindy Pepler, but we haven't been able to track them down yet. Esposito has left messages on their voice mail."

"Anywhere anyone would have seen them?"

"In the Pepler's home."

"Of course. I found some glass at the scene that was overlooked."

Ryan raised his eyebrows. "Glass?"

"A broken wine glass. I sent it for tests in case it's important."

"Okay."

"When you find out who Norman, Eric, and Nick are, let me know. Maybe we'll be lucky and one of them will have a second job as a grave digger or something."

"Or be a weekend gardener."

"That too."

Ryan went out to confer with Esposito and Kate headed back to the murder board. There wasn't really much to add, but staring at the board was sometimes comforting, and it helped her to think.

Picking up the dry erase marker, she wrote, "Nick? Eric? Norman?" Then, she wrote, "Family" and underlined it. She listed Mr. and Mrs. Woon and Michael. After a moment, she added a notation about the wine glass and the stain that was not blood but looked fairly new and had been near the victim.

"Beckett?" The captain's voice traveled to her across the bull pen.

She looked towards him, and he was beckoning her to his office. Kate replaced the marker and made her way over. As she passed Ryan's and Esposito's desks, she heard one on the phone with the Tutweillers and the other on the phone with someone he was calling Maria.

"How is the Woon case coming?" Captain Montgomery asked as soon as she was within earshot.

"We have a couple of suspects."

"Tell me the Tutweillers didn't do it, Detective. I could do without the press explosion that would cause."

"We don't have anything solid yet. Ryan and Esposito are running down alibis."

"And how are you doing?"

"Sir?"

"You know what I mean."

She did, of course. Her eyes traveled to his face for a moment so he could read her expression. She kept it as neutral as possible.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"For now, I'm sure."

He nodded in acceptance. "Good. How's Castle?"

She could answer this because she had checked with Alexis on her way back from Woon's apartment. "He's doing well, sir. He's going to make it...only..." He just listened quietly, not prodding her. "They're just getting a little puzzled and worried about why he's not awake yet. Right now, they are doing some tests. They don't think there should be any trauma or damage."

"Maybe he's just not ready yet."

"He can be stubborn," she agreed.

"How are Mrs. Rodgers and Alexis doing?"

The captain spent time with Castle socially and was well acquainted with the women in the author's life.

"As well as they can. Better now that he's going to be okay."

Montgomery looked relieved. "Good news, Detective. Oh, and I wanted to warn you."

She had been about to turn away but stopped. "About what?"

"A reporter called here a few minutes ago. I don't think Castle's shooting is a mystery any longer."

Kate winced. All Martha and Alexis needed was to be hounded by news hungry reporters. She wondered if anyone had warned Gina. Maybe there was something Gina could do to divert the frenzy.

"Thanks for the warning, sir."

As she started back to her desk, she wondered if she should call Gina herself. It wasn't really her place, but Castle's girlfriend was also his publisher, and she really should know what was going on.

In the end, she decided she didn't care what the protocol was. She called Gina and found out, with some relief, that Gina was already way ahead of her and fighting the demon hordes.

Kate found that the more she talked to Gina, the more she liked her. Despite that nasty scene at the beginning of the summer, and despite all the things Castle said about Gina before they got back together, she seemed like a good, solid, responsible person. No wonder Castle couldn't decide if he liked her or not. She wasn't his type.

The reports on the canvassing of the building came up soon after that. Apparently, no one had seen anything.

"I don't get it," Ryan said as they looked through the statements taken by the uniforms. "It's not like the shovel could have appeared in the apartment out of nowhere just to be used by our murderer and then disappeared. Someone must have seen something."

"According to this," Esposito answered, not even looking up, "five people were not home to answer their doors. Maybe we'll get lucky with them."

"Any news on Eric, Nick, or Norman?" Kate asked Ryan hopefully.

"Yessss..." he said, putting down reports and picking up another piece of paper. "Full names are Eric Jackson, Nicholas Boudreau, and Norman Nickerson. They work for the Tutweillers, just as Michael Woon said. Eric and Norman are junior agents, and Nick is a mortgage specialist. Exciting people. According to the Tutweillers, no one is working today. The office is closed down as a sign of respect for the victim".

"Did you get their home addresses?"

"Yup."

"You two take Nickerson and Jackson. I'll interview Boudreau. Objections?"

The two looked at each other and shrugged. She took that as a no.

When Ryan handed her Boudreau's address, she was surprised to discover he lived in Castle's building. It was a little pricey for a mortgage specialist, even one who worked for the most famous real estate agents in the city.

At Boudreau's apartment, the door was answered by a small, dark haired girl with serious eyes.

"Hello," Kate told her. "I'm looking for Nick. Is he in?"

The girl nodded and trotted off. Kate waited. It wasn't long before the girl came back, trailed by a very small young man. He looked about sixteen years old but was probably a little bit older.

"Nicholas Boudreau?"

"Yes."

"Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD." She flashed her badge. "I want to ask you some questions about Ian Woon."

Fear or nervousness flashed through his eyes. "Okay. Do you mind if my parents sit in?"

"That will be fine."

It was at this point that Kate found out that Nick's parents were the Boudreaus of Boudreau and Boudreau. Both lawyers had long, stern faces, and Mrs. Boudreau eyed Kate with suspicion.

"Is Nicholas a suspect?" she asked bluntly as they all sat down.

"No," Kate told her honestly. "We're conducting interviews with everyone who knew Ian at Tutweillers Real Estate."

She seemed to relax a little. "It was a horrible shock."

"Did you know Ian Woon, Mrs. Boudreau?"

"I met the boy once. He seemed very nice. He came here to have a movie day with Nicholas. If I remember correctly, they watched the entire Star Wars saga."

In her mind, Kate could hear Castle commenting on this.

"Nick, how long did you know Ian?"

The young man turned his hands in his lap. "We met when I started working for the Tutweillers a year ago. It's mostly girls who work there, so the guys kind of stuck together, you know?"

Kate actually did know. Every once in awhile, she and Karpowski, and sometimes Lanie, got together to just wind down and gripe about the stubborn, hard headed men in their lives.

"And there were how many of you?

"Four. Ian, Norman, Eric, and me."

"So, you were good friends with Ian?"

"Pretty good. We hung out."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"After work, the day before yesterday," he said without hesitation. "I remember because we were having a discussion about...well..." He colored slightly. "...one of the girls. Eric was with us and trying to get up the nerve to ask her on a date."

Kate noted this, then asked, "Were you aware of Ian having an argument with Mr. Tutweiller?"

Nick looked puzzled. "No. I didn't hear anything."

"Okay, thank you, Nick. One more question, just because I need to know. What were you doing yesterday between 7 pm and midnight?"

"I was at work doing paperwork until eight. Mia and Lauren can vouch for me because we were doing paperwork together. After that, I was here with my parents."

Kate stood. "That's all I need. If you think of anything that might help, give me a call."

She handed him her card.

"I will."

Kate decided to see if anyone was home at the Castles before she left the building. She wanted to check on Castle and see how Alexis and Martha were doing.

The door was opened almost immediately by a tired looking Alexis.

"Detective Beckett." She brightened slightly.

"I came to check on you. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay."

"Is your grandmother here?"

"Gram's upstairs having a shower. She'll be down in a few minutes." The teenager moved out of the way. "Come in."

"Is there any more news about your father?"

"Yes." The girl's eyes suddenly filled with tears, but she blinked them back.

Kate was immediately alert. "What's happened?"

"It's strange."

Kate closed the door behind her and asked, "Strange?"

Alexis nodded, her face suddenly vulnerable.

"What do you mean?"

"He's healing well physically. Everything's fine, but he won't wake up."

"He's still not awake?"

"No, and they say that they can't find a reason why. They checked for trauma, and there is none. They did brain scans, and he's not in a coma, at least not according to his brain waves. Everything points to a normal sleep. But he should be waking up right now, and they don't know why he isn't." By the end, her words were running together and her voice had gone high and cracky.

Kate placed her had on the girl's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm sure it will be all right."

"They think it might be psychological. Why do you think my Dad wouldn't want to wake up?"

Kate didn't have time to answer because Martha interrupted them. She came down the stairs slowly, and Kate quickly scanned her face. She still looked very worried.

"Kate," she greeted, mustering up a tired smile.

"I was in the building doing an interview and decided to come up and check on you."

"We were just going back to the hospital. Alexis wanted to read to her father."

"Maybe an exciting adventure will make him want to wake up," Alexis confided to Kate.

"It can't hurt," she agreed gently.

"Gina's going to meet us there," Martha said. Kate wasn't sure if this was a comment or a warning.

"I talked to her earlier. She's been working hard all day to control the press."

"I've always rather liked her," Martha admitted. "I don't really think she's right for Richard, but she's a nice girl. A little strange, but nice."

"To hear Castle before they got back together, she was the devil incarnate."

"Yeah, well, they fought a lot." She waved her hand airily.

"I've got to go back to work. Will you call me if there is any news?"

"Of course."

"Thanks."

Kate left the loft feeling rather puzzled. She wondered why Castle wouldn't wake up, and she wondered what could possibly be psychologically wrong. The trauma of getting shot? Maybe his brooding on the day he was shot was over more than just Finke.

Ryan and Esposito were already at the station when she got back. Their interviews with Nickerson and Jackson had gone pretty much like hers with Boudreau. The other two had good alibis, and they didn't really have motive.

That meant they still didn't have anything.

"If we could just find the murder weapon," Esposito growled under his breath for the hundredth time as they stood staring at the murder board.

Kate just frowned in reply. They were missing something and she just didn't know what.

She glanced up at the clock and saw the it was already 6:30. When had that happened? No wonder her eyes felt like they were burning.

"I think we should sleep on it," she said finally, earning her surprised looks from both sides. "Maybe it will seem more clear if we look at it with fresh eyes."

The words were hardly out of her mouth before Ryan was on the phone with Jenny. Esposito rolled his eyes at his partner.

"I think I'm going to go check on Castle," Kate told him. "Want to come?"

"Sure. I'll get my coat."

XXX

She was so beautiful. Her eyes were compelling. Intelligent. Green.

He smiled. He couldn't remember the last time he saw someone so perfect. No wonder that writer wrote about her. Her pictures in magazines didn't do her justice.

She was beautiful. She was strong and unbreakable. And, soon, she would be his.

XXX

As soon as Kate got home, the weight of the day came crashing in on her. Her worry for Castle had taken its toll, and she felt as if she hadn't slept for days.

While she was changing into her pajamas, her mind turned over the strange case of Mr. Ian Woon. A thorough search of trash bins and intensive witness questionings still had not turned up the murder weapon. Kate was beginning to think it was invisible.

It was only nine o'clock when she began her nightly ritual of putting away her father's watch and her mother's ring. She could barely keep her eyes open, so she turned out the lights and crawled into bed. Her mind was still sifting through the strange events of her latest case when she fell into a deep sleep.

XXX

Kate found herself in the meadow again. She knew it was the same meadow because it smelled the same, and the same grass brushed her knees. The sun was warm as it shone down on her face, and, as she looked down, she was surprised to see the same t-shirt and sweatpants she had worn to bed.

The wind brushed her face, playing with her long hair. Kate felt herself smiling as the scene soothed her jangled nerves. The ground was hard and a little rocky, she noted as she made her way through the tall grass towards the trees. The last two times she had been here, this is when she woke. Kate was surprised to find herself drawing near her destination.

"Did you see that?"

The voice made Kate freeze. Her whole body went on alert as she analyzed the voice. It was young. Feminine.

"Of course I did. I was standing right here," another voice answered. It was also young but male.

"Hello?" It seemed the thing to say.

"Hello," the woman's voice said brightly, and a girl separated herself from the trees. She was small but athletic. Her face was round and pretty with a touch of innocence.

The young woman turned and motioned behind her. A boy, maybe nineteen, followed her out into the clearing. He was small, as well, and thin. He smiled at Kate charmingly.

"We saw what you just did in the meadow," the young woman continued.

"What I did?" Kate asked, puzzled.

"When you appeared," the young man told her. "We saw you appear out of nothing."

Kate glanced back over her shoulder. "I did?"

The girl slowly said, "Yes. Don't you remember? Where did you come from?"

Kate gestured behind her. "Over there."

"And before that?"

Kate shrugged. "I was asleep."

The two of them shared a glance. Kate could see there was something that they knew but she didn't.

The young woman searched Kate's face earnestly, and then stuck out her hand. "My name is Nahla, and this is my brother, Aizik."

The smile she gave was friendly enough, so Kate took the offered hand. "Beckett. Kate Beckett."

Nahla's handshake was strong and firm, and her hands were calloused. For the first time, Kate noticed that both Nahla and Aizik were dressed strangely. Their clothes were simply made with ties instead of zippers or buttons. Both of them wore dark shirts and pants, similarly made except for the neat embroidery around the collar and cuffs of Nahla's.

"Pleased to meet you," Aizik said with another charming smile.

He was also stronger than he looked. His hand was slender but his grip was sure.

"It's really interesting that you're here," he continued. "It's rare enough to see one Shadow Walker a generation in any given world, but for two to appear within days of each other is unheard of."

Kate had no idea what he meant. She had to remind herself that this was a dream and that her mind was probably making things up as it went along.

"A Shadow Walker?" she asked.

"Someone who crosses the boundaries while they are asleep," Aizik told her.

This didn't make things any clearer, but Kate figured the dream would reveal all when it was ready.

"Can't you see she doesn't know what your talking about?" Nahla said, elbowing her brother.

He nodded. "That happens sometimes. We just found out about it ourselves. There was a big discussion..."

Kate was getting more confused. "About me?"

"No. Not quite."

"You're just going to confuse her, Aizik," Nahla scolded. "Let's start over. Hi, Kate. I'm Nahla Swordsrunner. This is my dumb brother. We live just through those trees in Four Corners."

"I've never been beyond those trees."

"You've been here before?"

"I've had this dream twice before."

"Dream? Kate this isn't..." Aizik started, but Nahla interrupted him.

"Twice? Did anyone see you?"

"No. Why?"

She looked a little uncomfortable and didn't say anything.

"Nahla?"

"It's dangerous for you to be here," she admitted.

Kate was struck by something familiar. She turned around slowly, studying the fields and the trees closely. Then, she looked carefully at Nahla and Aizik. Nahla's voice had triggered a memory. She had heard the girl's voice before. It had been in her dream the day after Castle was shot. Everything had been blurry and out of focus, but the land had looked like this, and one of the voices had sounded like hers.

Suddenly, it seemed very important to ask, "Have you seen Castle?"

The girl's face turned white. "Castle? Richard Castle? You know him?"

"Know him? Yes, I know him. How do you know him? What is going on?"

XXX

Kate's alarm clock awakened her abruptly. It beeped loudly and insistently.

She woke with her stomach clenched and her brain whirling. At first, she couldn't remember why. Then, the memory came to her all at once. The dream was so sharp that it seemed almost real. Not only could she remember images, she could also remember sounds and smells. Her hand could still feel the roughness of Aizik's, and her face could still feel the teasing tickle of the wind.

"Holy strange reoccurring dream, Batman," she mumbled to herself as she reached over and turned off the beeping.

She felt heavy and tired, and the temptation to stay in bed almost overwhelmed her. She lay there, not moving, wanting nothing more than a little more sleep.

The image of Ian Woon's smiling face swam before her closed eyelids. His killer was still loose, and maybe he would kill again. The thought was enough to make her force her groaning limbs to move. She slowly got up, pushing thoughts of her strange dream away and replacing them with Ian Woon. Holding onto his face, she went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

XXX

She called Martha on the way to work. Disappointment and worry mingled within her when she discovered that there was no change in Castle. More disappointment came at work when no one had any more ideas or insights about Ian Woon or the shovel that killed him.

The first bit of luck happened at about one o'clock. A witness had been found in Woon's building that might have seen something the day he died. As Kate rode over to interview him, she hoped it was the face of a man taking the stairs carrying a shovel.

For the second time in as many days, Kate found herself in Woon's apartment building. The witness also lived on the twelfth floor. As a matter of fact, he lived in the apartment beside Woon's.

Kate passed the yellow tape and knocked on the next door. She felt a prickle along her backbone as if someone were watching her. As she waited for the witness to open the door, she looked around. There was no one in view, so she shrugged the feeling off.

The door opened a crack, and Kate heard the rattle of a chain as a brown eye looked at her through the slit.

"Yes?"

She took out her badge and held it up so the speaker could see.

"I'm Detective Kate Beckett. I'm here to talk to you about Ian Woon."

There was a sigh, and the door closed. After another rattle of chains, it reopened, and Kate got her first look at the witness.

He was a man in his late forties. Small and mousy, he had a weak chin and a couple of day's worth of stubble.

"Matthew Steele?" she asked.

"Yes."

"You saw something on the night Ian Woon was murdered?"

"Well, I heard something," he said, leading her inside and motioning for her to take a seat.

Where Woon's apartment had been sparse and neat, Steele's was lightly cluttered and full of personal items. The recurring theme seemed to be dogs. There were dog pictures on the walls and dogs gazed at her from countless shelves.

"What exactly did you hear, Mr. Steele?"

She sat on the nearest chair and he took the couch beside her.

"Voices. Well, first, I heard one voice. It was loud. Someone who was very angry was beating on Ian's door."

"Yelling?"

"Yes. Yelling and beating on the door with his fist. I looked out my keyhole, but I couldn't see him. He was too far over."

"He? It was a man?"

"Yes. And I saw a glint as if the hall light was reflecting off of something metal." He looked puzzled. "It was odd."

"What happened then?"

"Ian answered the door. The guy went in, and I could hear them arguing."

"Could you hear what they were saying?"

"No." He looked at his hands. "They were loud, but not that loud. Then, they stopped suddenly. That was all I heard."

"Do you think you could recognize the voice if you heard it again?" Kate adjusted herself on the chair. It was hard and uncomfortable.

"Maybe. I'm not sure."

"How well did you know Mr. Woon, Mr. Steele?"

The man shrugged. "We saw each other and said hi and what do you think of the weather? That's about it."

"Is there anything else you could think of that would be useful to our case?"

"No. I don't think so."

Kate reached in the pocket of her brown leather jacket and drew out a business card. "If you remember anything else, please give me a call."

"I will."

This time on her way out, Kate stopped to talk to the building super intendant. He asked her how soon he could rent Ian Woon's apartment, and she asked him about any vacancies. She went away from the interview happier than he did.

When Kate got back to the precinct, she found a very excited Ryan but no Esposito. She didn't even have time to sit before he was running over to meet her.

"Guess what was found in a garbage bin three blocks from Ian Woon's apartment building."

"The murder weapon?"

"The murder weapon!" He paused. "Wait. Yes, it was the murder weapon. Way to ruin a surprise."

"Sorry. Where is it now?"

"Esposito's out escorting it to the lab."

"Let's hope it can tell us what we need to know. Anything else?"

Ryan shook his head. "No. You?"

"According to the witness, our killer is an angry male. He didn't see him, but he heard him. There was a fight. The only thing he really saw was a flash of light from something metal."

"The shovel?"

"That's what I'm thinking. Have we heard anything on the glass I found in Woon's apartment?"

"Not yet."

Kate's cell phone rang, and she took it out and glanced at it. Josh. She hadn't talked to him in days, not since before Castle had been shot. Her palms got sweaty and her stomach flipped. She had forgotten all about him. What was she going to say to him?

Without stopping to think about it, afraid she'd chicken out and let it go to voice mail, she answered quickly, "Beckett."

She walked away from Ryan to give herself some privacy as she heard Josh say, "Hey, Kate, what's going on?"

"Hi, Josh."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...Sorry I haven't called..."

"It's okay. I heard about Castle."

She almost dropped the phone. "You did?"

"It's all over the news. His publisher, Gina something, called a press conference."

"She did? How did it go?"

"She's a very good speaker. She played up the privacy angle and asked for the press to go through her for his family's sake." Kate was pleased with this and almost missed Josh's next comment. "So, do you want to do something later?"

She just wanted to go and check on Castle and go home. Still, it had been five days since she saw Josh last, and she knew she should connect with him again.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Dinner and a movie, maybe?"

"A movie? What did you want to see?"

"You can pick."

She was tempted to say no because she was worried about Castle and, for some reason, as tired as hell. Still, it would be nice to put Beckett away and just be Kate awhile.

"Sure. Pick me up at six."

"See you then."

XXX

When she got home, it was too late to go to the hospital, but she was unwilling to go to bed without at least checking in with Martha. Plus, she really wanted to check on Alexis. Kate had once told Castle that she would look out for his daughter if anything ever happened to him. She intended to keep that promise. She just hoped Alexis wouldn't mind a call at eleven thirty at night.

The phone only rang twice, and the young voice that answered was alert and bright.

"Hey, Alexis. It's Detective Beckett. Sorry for calling so late."

"That's all right. I don't mind."

"I didn't get to come in to see your father today. How is he doing?"

There was a heavy sigh and a sad, "About the same."

"Have they figured out what's keeping him asleep yet?"

"No. They still haven't found any trauma."

"Well, he's got to wake up and face the rest of us eventually."

Kate heard the hint of a smile when Alexis answered, "That's what Gram says."

"I'll be in to see him tomorrow morning."

"I won't be there. I'm going back to school tomorrow. I don't want to, but Gram thinks it will be good for me."

"She's probably right," she told her before asking gently, "How are you doing, Alexis?"

"I'm okay."

"Really?"

"Mostly. My Mom called, and she was all like a child on Red Bull, but it was still nice to hear from her. She is really worried about Dad and wanted to know if she should come up. I told her no because..." She stopped for a moment before saying, "I don't want to sound selfish."

"It's all right, Alexis. I don't think you're selfish."

"Well...I didn't really want to babysit her when I'm so worried about Dad. I love her, but she's really high maintenance."

"Your father might have mentioned that."

"So, I'm not a horrible person?"

"Of course not. What did your mother say?"

"Well, I told her that I knew she was busy, and that I'd call her every day, so she just said okay, if I was sure."

"She's your mother. She loves you."

"I know she does."

"Have you got anybody you can talk to?"

"Ashley has been great. He checks on me all the time, and he's there to listen every time I call."

"You know, if you can't get a hold of him, you can call me any time. I'll always answer."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Well, I'd better get to bed. I just wanted to call to see how you were doing."

"Good night."

"Good night, Alexis. Sleep tight."

XXX

This time, Kate found herself by the path through the trees. The meadow was there with its riot of colorful flowers, and the sun was still shining.

She stood where she was for awhile, soaking in the peace surrounding her. The rough dirt was harder on her bare feet than the grass had been, and, once more, she found herself in her pajamas.

After awhile, standing there got boring. She didn't wake up, and nothing else happened, so she decided to follow the path Nahla and Aizik had shown her.

It was dimmer in the trees. The sun got through, but most of it was filtered through leaves and needles. It made dappled patterns on the lumpy path in front of her.

She wondered where in her imagination this place had come from. Usually, her dreams were violent and angst ridden. That was a hazard of the job. Occasionally, especially since meeting Castle, she had to admit to herself, they were pleasant but embarrassing. Once in awhile, she even dreamed of her childhood, and, when she woke up, she wanted to weep. She couldn't remember a time when she had dreamed of nature, and she wondered what her mind was trying to tell her.

After she had walked for a ways, she began to hear noises. First, there was the faint barking of a dog. Then, there was a shout. She picked up her pace, curious about what she would find on the other end of the path.

The trees ended abruptly, opening up into a scene right from the middle ages. Her mouth fell open as she studied the view in front of her. The closest New York City born and raised Kate Beckett could compare it to was a remote village she had visited when she spent a semester in Russia before her mother died.

The village in front of her was small, with a dirt road running through it. The houses that lined the road were made of either stone or wood, and most of them had thatched roofs. The road was quite narrow, but none of the buildings had cars or driveways. Kate was looking down a hill at the village, so she got to take it all in as a whole. She noticed that the main road had a couple of even smaller roads branching off of it, and these were also sprinkled with buildings. She also noticed that some of the buildings she had mistaken for houses had signs hanging from them. There were some pens with cows, pigs, and chickens in them, and Kate saw some dogs running among the few humans in the street. In one instance, the dog had two small children chasing after him, and the children were screaming with delight.

Kate continued to follow the path as it sloped towards the village. The rough ground of the woods gave way to a rockier dirt road beneath her feet, and Kate winced at the pain.

Walking towards the village, Kate felt suddenly lonely and exposed. The feeling made her shiver despite the warmth of the day.

She was almost to the line of buildings when she saw a familiar form coming towards her. Nahla, clad in the same strange shirt and pants with her shoulder length hair done up in matching pigtails, waved enthusiastically as she approached Kate. Kate raised a hand briefly in reply.

"You're back!" Nahla said when they were within talking distance.

"It appears so," Kate agreed.

"We were hoping you'd come back, but when you didn't return..."

"Wait. How long has it been since I was here the last time, Nahla?" Kate drew her brow down in a frown.

"It's been a fortnight."

This was a term that Kate was familiar with, though she hadn't heard it often. "That long?"

Nahla nodded. "I've heard it happens that way sometimes. Come on. My mother wants to meet you. She says you are probably confused and maybe feeling lost."

"Where are we?"

"Don't you remember? This is the village of Four Corners. I told you about it last time."

Kate did remember. She also remembered there was something about Castle.

"Come on, Kate," Nahla repeated, motioning her further into the village.

People were starting to notice her. There were stares from both wide eyed children and adults. A couple of the dogs barked at her, but the people were still and silent. It was creepy.

Kate allowed herself to be led past the silent people and looming buildings. Despite their somewhat primitive state, there was a rustic charm to the place.

She smiled at a small blond child holding a rope with a tiny gray goat at the end of it. The child smiled timidly back and raised the hand not holding the rope.

"We own the inn in town," Nahla broke the silence suddenly. "My mother is the proprietress and the mayor. My father is a Traveler."

"A Traveler?"

"He travels the Old Ways bringing news and entertainment to the smaller and poorer villages. He's quite well known. My brother and I often go with him. He's not here now." There was something dark in her voice that Kate hadn't heard before.

She absorbed this and remained silent.

At the first of the side streets Kate had observed from the hill, Nahla turned. They were confronted by a large two story building with a hitching post in the yard and a big barn in the back. The building was well kept and a small wooden sign waved in the wind from on top of the door.

Kate glanced at it and saw a picture of a building much like the one it adorned, and, beside the picture, were the words "Safe Haven". She thought that was a nice name for an inn.

When they entered the building, Kate was struck by how homey it was.

The main room was made of wood. The walls. The floor. The huge, knotted beams that made up the ceiling. All were well made and smooth. A substance covered them that had preserved and deepened the color of the wood. Tables, also made of wood, were scattered around the room. They were so clean they shone. There were two huge windows on the side of the room that Nahla and Kate had entered, both covered with cheerful curtains, and a humongous fireplace covered the other side of the room. Above the mantel, an imposing sword was affixed to the wall.

"You live here?" Kate asked.

"Most of the time." She led Kate to a table. "Sit here. I'll be right back."

Kate did so, her body going on alert. This might just have been a dream, but sometimes the worst things could happen in dreams. After all, what did she really know about Nahla? The girl seemed open and friendly, but Kate had only met her the one brief time.

Kate hadn't been sitting there long when Aizik came in. The boy had something like a guitar strapped over his shoulder and a twinkle of mischief in his eye. Since she had started working with Castle, Kate had gotten to know that glint very well.

"Hi, Kate," he said with a friendly grin.

"Hello, Aizik."

"It's nice to see you again." He sat down beside her, still smiling.

"That's a very interesting instrument," she commented. "I've never seen one before."

He slipped the strap off of his shoulder and held it out to her. She took it gently.

"It's called a lutar," he explained. "I play it when my father and I travel the Old Ways."

Kate strummed the instrument experimentally. It sounded like a guitar only deeper and, if possible, rather joyful. She had learned to play the guitar a little from one of her boyfriends as a teenager. Digging into her past, she tried out one of the simple songs he had taught her.

The melody sounded soft and haunting on the lutar. Kate really liked it.

"You play?" Aizik asked, his eyes shining.

"Not much," Kate admitted.

"I'd like to play with you sometime...if you return."

"I don't know."

Nahla reentered the room then, a tall blond woman at her side. Like Nahla, she had a fresh, natural beauty. Her skin was smooth and pale, her eyes warm and welcoming.

"You must be Kate. I'm Kalahn Swordsrunner, the mayor and Mystic of Four Corners. I asked my children to bring you here if you ever appeared again."

"Nice to meet you," Kate said politely.

Kalahn Swordsrunner was dressed in a very simple white gown. The sleeves were elbow length and embroidered with blue and silver thread. The skirt of it flared out at the waist and almost brushed the floor. Its hem had the same silver and blue thread.

The woman raised an eyebrow at Kate. "You don't want to know why I wanted to meet you?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me."

She smiled, dimpling her face in a way that reminded Kate of Alexis, even though this woman was decades older. "That's true."

She took a seat across from Kate and Aizik. Nahla sat down beside her mother.

As she waited for the older woman to speak, Kate rubbed her soles against the smooth wood of the floor. She really wished she had some shoes.

"You're not a Shadow Walker," Nahla blurted out as soon as her butt settled in her chair.

Shadow Walker. The words whispered through Kate's mind. She recalled the brother and sister calling her a Shadow Walker when they first met. She also recalled Nahla's turning as white as a sheet at the mention of Castle's name.

"Nahla," her mother said gently, "you are putting the cart before the horse again."

Nahla colored prettily. "Sorry, Mother."

Her mother nodded and turned to Kate. "Kate, can you tell me what you believe is happening?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?"

Kate gave the woman one of her most incredulous looks. "What do I mean when I ask what you mean?"

"Yes."

"Do you mean what is really going on, when I'm awake, or do you mean here and now, in this dream?"

"Both."

Kate rubbed her chin reflectively. "Well, in real life, my friend and partner was shot. I'm also working on a case, trying to find out who killed another man with a shovel. But, that has nothing to do with this.

'Here, I keep having this recurring dream. At first, I though it was to give me some measure of peace. I've had a lot on my mind since Castle got shot. Now, I'm not so sure. There has to be some reason that my subconscious has me talking to you."

"I thought so."

"You thought so what?"

"What would you say, Kate, if I told you that this isn't a dream? Four Corners. The meadow. Aizik. Nahla. Me. It's all real."

"Real in what sense?"

"As real as whatever is happening when you're not here."

"I'd have to say that's impossible."

"You're skeptical."

She shook her head. "I'm a realist. There is no way that both that life and this one could be real."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am!"

"Sure enough to risk his life?"

Kate felt suddenly cold all over. She tucked her legs under her chair for warmth and clenched her hand on the table. "What are you talking about?"

"Castle, your Richard Castle, is in danger. He's in more danger than you could ever guess. And the only way to save him is from here. In this world. If you don't, he'll die in both worlds."

This dream was definitely veering in a weird direction. The woman's words stunned Kate and wrenched at her gut. She knew that she was lying home in her bed fast asleep. She knew that Castle was lying in a hospital bed with a hole in his chest and that he couldn't—or wouldn't—wake up. She knew these things, but the woman's words, and the way she said them, felt all too real.

Kate tried to shake the feeling off, tried to deny the words. She opened her mouth to tell the woman she was being ridiculous, that this could not happen. Instead, what came out was, "Please explain."

Kalahn smiled supportively. "All right. I will start from the beginning."

"Please do," Kate agreed.

"As I said, things are not as they appear. In your world, Richard Castle appears to be in a deep, unending sleep. Nothing seems to wake him. That is only a small part of his reality. The Richard that sleeps is just a shell, Kate. The real Richard, or the Richard that really counts, is locked up in a prison and cannot get free. The Prison of Darkness is what is keeping him asleep in your world, and if he is not freed, he will die in both."

A recent conversation flitted through Kate's mind. She had once told Castle that she would break him out of prison if he needed her. Her subconscious must have firmly latched onto that thought.

"This is the core of what you need to know," Kalahn continued, oblivious to Kate's thoughts. "The rest has to do with us and will probably not interest you. Unfortunately, the two stories have become one."

Kate remained silent, studying the woman's face. It was serious and shadowed, and, for the first time, she saw the underlying worry. Both Aizik and Nahla were solemn and quiet, respectfully allowing their mother to tell her tale.

"We are a people alone and isolated in our own land," Kalahn said. "About a hundred years ago, another land invaded ours, killing our leaders and taking control. The invaders were a cruel people. They enslaved and tortured us for sport. Most of us fell under their thumb, but some of us escaped. Long ago, before the invaders had even crawled out of their own filth, our people had been a magical people. We made a series of paths and hidden places called simply The Way. By the time the Kionji invaded, these paths were so ancient, the name had mutated to become The Old Ways. Our people took to the paths, where the Kionji couldn't find them and built their homes there. We remain to this day isolated pockets that communicate with seeing stones and by sending the Travelers along the paths. For a hundred and fifty years, we have survived thus.

'The Kionji were not a magical people , but they were numerous. They spread out over the land, and their blood mingled with those of us that hadn't escaped to the Old Ways."

"And what does that have to do with Castle?" Kate interrupted.

"I'm getting to that now," Kalahn assured her, then continued, "Now, many Kionji have the magic in them, and many have learned to use it. The worst of these is a sorcerer named Rithisak. He is very powerful, but he is also power hungry. And he has found a way to gain power by draining the life force of another. There is a book, a secret, evil book, that was long hidden. It was written by one of my people who went mad and practiced dark arts. The book tells of dark spells, and many of them convert life forces into different kinds of magic. The book even tells of a way to find the Old Ways, and how to break from one world into another."

Kate had listened very quietly to this, knowing that all things were possible in dreams. Still, this was hard even for her dream self to believe.

"You need to kill a very special person to be able to work this special kind of magic on yourself." Kalahn looked deeply into Kate's eyes, and Kate sat up straighter, knowing this was important. "You need the blood of a Shadow Walker."

There were those words again. They slid over her skin, causing bumps to appear on her flesh. "What does that mean exactly?"

"A Shadow Walker has the ability to walk other worlds while she or he is asleep. Harnessed and trained, a Shadow Walker can control where he goes, but most people go their whole lives without knowing their exceptionally vivid dreams are completely real and that anything that happens to them there really happens. Your friend, Richard Castle, is a Shadow Walker."

"I don't believe you," Kate said flatly. "This is only a dream, and you are a piece of my subconscious trying to come up with a reason why Castle won't wake up."

"Kate, Rithisak has kidnapped Richard Castle to use in his ritual to give himself the power to walk between worlds. If he succeeds, no one in any of the worlds will be safe. Your Richard will not wake up in your world because the evil sorcerer plucked him from it when he was vulnerable. Rithisak used Richard's own Shadow Walker abilities against him, and is even now using them to force him to stay in this world. Until he is free of the Prison of Darkness, he cannot wake in your world. He will go on sleeping forever, or until his other body dies."

"I think I'm ready to wake up now," Kate said, getting up from the table.

"Wait!" Nahla said urgently. "Mother, tell her about why she's here."

"I'm not a Shadow Walker or whatever you called it."

"No, you're not," Nahla's mother agreed. "It's rare, but Shadow Walkers have been known to bring people with them. We believe when Richard was ripped from his world to this one, his subconscious sent out a cry, a powerful burst of magic, to the one person he trusted to free him. This means that the person he has put all his trust in is you."

"If this is true," Kate said, still not sitting down, "how do you know about this?"

"I know because I am a Mystic and because we have...had...a spy in Rithisak's household. He told us of the sorcerer's plans. We talked to him through the same stones as we talk to the rest of the People."

"You said had."

"Yes. We haven't heard from him in over a week. We think he's been captured or killed." Kate frowned and was going to reply when Kalahn held up her hand and continued, "We have one thing we do know. Your Richard is still alive. Rithisak is waiting for something or someone. Our informant told us that he was aware of something dividing Richard Castle's power. He's trying to find it and destroy it. Kate, I think he's waiting for you."

Kate ran a tired hand over her forehead and repeated. "This has been a nice story, but I want to wake up."

"This has been a lot for you to hear and absorb. Even now, you think it's a dream. Haven't you noticed by now how real everything looks? How real it sounds? How real it smells? How real it feels? Maybe it is time for you to wake up, at least for a little while. Don't stay away too long. Your Richard is depending on you."

She stood and touched Kate's arm across the table. Kate felt a little dizzy and the room started spinning. Suddenly, she found herself falling up...

Kate opened her eyes to total darkness. Her pulse was racing and her mouth was dry. It took her a moment to recognize the feel of the hotel comforter against her face and the shape of her holster draped over a nearby chair.

She was in her own room, and it was...She glanced at the clock...five thirty in the morning. The events of her dream bounced around in her head. Kalahn was right. It did all seem remarkably real. She rolled over and considered going back to sleep. The thought made her chest tighten, so she threw her covers off and got up to meet the day. She wanted to go see Castle anyway.

XXX

Richard Castle sat in his dim stone cell, just as he had for the past three weeks. It was late in the day and shadows touched his small cot and porcelain bedpan. Besides his empty tray, they were the only objects in the room. The light that entered came from a mere slit of a window, one small enough that Rick could only fit his arm through up to his elbow. He knew because he had tried more than once. Inside his cell was stone. The walls, the ceiling, and the floor were all made from heavy stone blocks. The door was wooden, but the wood was reinforced with metal. Outside, Rick could see scenery like he had never seen before. Grass and trees. More open space than he had ever imagined, even when he was pretending to be a space cowboy.

It had been a rough three weeks. He had no idea how he had come to be in this prison. He remembered traveling with Beckett as they went to pick up that piece of scum, Leonard Finke. He remembered waiting in the car. He remembered hearing the young girl's scream and following it to the alley. That's where his memory got muddled. There was a flash of light then pain. Colors, lots of colors spinning around him. And there was Beckett's voice saying she wouldn't leave him.

A strange voice reached for him. It cut through the pain and the fog in his brain. He couldn't tell what it was saying, but it whirled around him, filling his body. It entered his eyes, his nose, and his ears, and there was pain. It was more pain than he'd ever felt before.

And then he woke up here.

Time passed slowly. He kept a tally in his mind of suns rising and suns setting. The only person he saw was the man who brought him his meals. The man opened a slit in the bottom of the door and pushed them in. Sometimes, he even stopped to talk. Well, the first one had. He had been replaced by someone silent and surly.

Rick really missed Alexis. he wondered what she was doing and if she missed him as much as he missed her. Did she think he disappeared intentionally?

Rick also wondered where he was and what he was doing there. He was dressed in a strange pair of pants that were something like pajama bottoms and nothing else. His feet were bare. Sometimes they felt like ice cakes when the sun went down and the heat was leeched from the stone he walked on.

He had tried several times in the beginning to get answers. He made lots of noise with his voice and with his hands. When his first jailer warned him to stop, the man's voice and face had been so filled with terror that Rick had obeyed.

There was a long time to think when you were by yourself with nothing to do for weeks. At times, Rick thought he might just go crazy. To prevent it, he wrote Nikki Heat scenes in his head. With Rook. Without Rook. At a murder site. Wounded. Triumphant. At one point, he even thought of a scene where Nikki Heat was confronted by Kate Beckett. That was an interesting one. It kept him entertained for hours.

In his darkest moments—in the middle of the night, when the silence and loneliness felt like it was going to drown him—his thoughts switched from Nikki to Kate herself. He admitted to himself that he missed her almost as much as he missed Alexis. Thoughts of her lit up the dark. The way she moved, the way she smiled, her condescending looks, the way she could deliver a joke so deadpan that it was hard to tell if she were being serious.

Sometimes he pretended she was there with him. They would banter back and forth and, for a little while, he could pretend that he wasn't locked up in a prison in the middle of nowhere for an unknown reason.

He wondered if Beckett were looking for him. Did she wonder where he went? Did she think he left her? Would that hurt her? Would she miss him? Over the summer that had just passed, he had wondered every day if she were missing him. His heart hoped yes, but his mind said no. That was before he knew that she had broken up with Demming long before the summer started.

As he sat there thinking of Beckett and Demming, a sudden picture of Gina flashed into his mind. He felt guilty as he realized this was the first time in three weeks that he had thought of her. He knew then that if he ever got out of this place, he would have to break up with her. It wasn't that he didn't love her. He actually loved her very much. When they were getting along, she was one of his best friends, but he didn't love her the way she should be loved. Gina deserved a chance to find true happiness.

Then, remembering a recent case involving two people who were genuinely in love and remembering the conversation with his mother about it, Rick once more thought of Kate.

She had made a promise to him that day. He wondered if she remembered it. If she did, would she feel compelled to honour it? Of course, that was probably moot because she couldn't know where he was or what had happened to him. Rick didn't even know that himself.

Even so, something stirred inside of him. It felt a little like the sun shining down between wisps of a cloud. Or maybe it felt like the first trickle of water seeping through a solid wall of writer's block. Whatever it was, Rick gripped that feeling. He held on to it for dear life.

XXX

He watched her. He was at the station early so he could see her. Her shoulders were hunched against the cold November wind. Her long legs moved swiftly. She was elegance. She was grace. He wanted her.

XXX

Kate was shivering as she walked into the heat of the station. The temperature had plunged during the night and now the air felt and smelled like snow. Of course, she had forgotten her gloves so both her fingers and her toes were numb. Her nose wasn't doing so well either. Even though she loved her brown leather jacket, it was time to switch to her red winter one.

"Good morning, Beckett," Karpowski said cheerfully. The other woman looked rosy and warm. Kate just nodded and moved as quickly as she could towards the coffee machine.

Ryan and Esposito were already in the break room. They were sipping coffee and talking about Jenny. As one, they looked up as Kate entered.

"You look frozen, Beckett," Esposito said helpfully.

"Thanks."

"How is Castle this morning?" Ryan asked, his blue eyes shadowed with concern.

Kate fumbled with the coffee machine and blamed it on numb fingers and not the helpless feeling Ryan's question caused in her stomach.

"About the same. His body is healing quickly, but they aren't getting any other response from him. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong. He just won't wake up." She frowned as she finally got her coffee started and almost growled, "Typical Castle stubbornness."

Ryan made a noncommittal sound, and she ignored him as she watched her cup fill. She knew she shouldn't take her worry about Castle out on him, but the frustration was driving her crazy.

She took her cup out of the machine and sipped gratefully. The warmth spread out through her body, tingling through her veins.

"Have any of our test results come back yet?"

"I called earlier," Ryan told her, "and they should be getting to both the glass and the shovel today."

"Finally," Esposito added.

"Maybe we'll get lucky. Anything else going on?"

"Things are pretty quiet."

After acknowledging this, Kate wandered over to the murder board, taking her coffee with her. She leaned against the desk in front of the information and sipped at the cup in her hands. Once more, Ian Woon smiled innocently out at her. Under his picture, the names of his friends and relatives were listed. All of his friends from work had alibied out, as had both Mr. and Mrs. Tutweiller. No one could think of anyone that would want to hurt Ian. There was obviously something missing, some piece of the puzzle that she was sure she could find if she just looked hard enough.

The last known people to see Woon alive were Nickerson, Jackson, and Boudreau, but they had all left the victim and gone their separate ways after work. Woon had returned home, and nothing more was heard from him until Steele overheard him arguing with his killer.

They knew how he had been killed—brained by a shovel—at about nine o'clock, which concurred with Matthew Steele's statement. They knew there had been a fight, one that tipped furniture and spilled wine. It annoyed Kate that they had no idea how to fill in the blanks.

But, the results hadn't come back yet. There was that, at least. Kate had big dreams of clear fingerprints or some microscopic drops of blood.

She stared at the murder board for a good ten minutes and decided she could have used Castle. He thought outside of the box, and sometimes when he was weaving unbelievable stories, he hit on the right answer.

Thinking of Castle made Kate's mind go back to her strange dream. It had been odd, but it felt very real, and the memories she had of it were crystal clear.

She frowned into her coffee, swirling it around. The dream had to have come from a place of fear and longing. She knew she was overtired from worry and lack of sleep. Her body was heavy and her head felt fuzzy.

As if thinking this set off some reflective action, Kate found herself blocking a very large yawn with her forearm. She felt as if she could go to bed and sleep for a week.

Maybe she just needed another cup of coffee.

Draining her cup, she headed off to the break room to find some more of the life saving liquid. As she entered it, her eyes settled on the couch, and Kate wondered if anyone would notice if she just lay down to rest her eyes for a minute.

She placed her cup on the nearby counter and settled onto the cushions. They felt like the welcoming arms of an old friend. Already, she could feel herself relaxing.

Just a few minutes, she told herself. A few minutes. Maybe ten.

She sighed and closed eyes that felt gritty from exhaustion...

XXX

Kate found herself inside the village this time. The sun was high in the sky, and it was still warm. She wondered how much time had passed.

"Kate Beckett, I presume?" an unfamiliar voice said behind her.

Kate whirled to find a man studying her seriously. He was a big man, taller than she was and as broad as a bull. His dark hair was shorn short, and he had a thick neck and hard features. His eyes were flat and cold.

Her hand instinctively reached for her gun, and she was momentarily surprised when her fingers actually brushed it. That's when she realized that she was wearing the clothes that she went to work in that morning and not her pajamas.

Her second surprise was when the man put out his hand and said, "Jacek Bowman."

Kate hesitated before gingerly taking the offered hand. Jacek's hand was firm and calloused—and very, very strong.

"The Council is sending me to solve the Shadow Walker problem," he continued after their shake was over.

Kate didn't know if she liked the way Jacek said this, and she wondered just how he had been told to solve it.

"I arrived in Four Corners just after you left this morning," he continued, answering the question that had occurred to her first. "I was sent from Amberlin to talk to the Mystic here because she was the one in touch with Lill."

"Lill?"

"Our man inside Rithisak's fortress. I'm just heading back to the inn after securing supplies. Walk with me."

Kate allowed herself to relax slightly, but she didn't forget the reassurance of having her gun with her. As for Jacek, he had a very heavy sword hanging from his waist and a row of sheathed knives running diagonally across his chest. He looked like a killing machine.

They were near the road you turned onto to get to Safe Haven, but the walk was long enough that Kate felt awkward in the silence.

The people in the street didn't even seem to notice her this time. She had a couple of children stare at her, and she assumed this was because of her strange dress, but, for the most part, she was ignored.

Before they reached the inn, Jacek suddenly asked, "Are you coming with me to the Prison of Darkness?"

And, just like that, Kalahn's words came back to Kate. She had been focusing so much on Jacek that she had almost forgotten what had been said the last time she dreamed about this place. Castle kidnapped, tortured, killed by some strange sorcerer who wanted to cross worlds. Unbelievable and terrifying.

"This isn't real," she said firmly, though she wasn't sure if she were answering Jacek or herself.

He stopped and looked at her. Really looked. His eyes searched her face—every nook, every cranny. He stared into her eyes until her own eyes burned in sympathy because they didn't blink.

After several uncomfortable minutes, he said lowly, "You think this is a dream."

The tone of his voice made her breath catch, but she answered just as firmly as before. "I know this is a dream."

"This is not a dream."

Slowly and deliberately, he put up his hand and unsheathed one of the knives on his chest. It was a long, wicked one, with an edge that looked as if it could slice through bone. Kate had to stop herself from reaching for her gun.

"Give me your arm."

"I don't think so."

"If this is a dream, what do you have to be afraid of?"

She had to admit that he had a point. Hesitantly, she held out her arm.

"This is going to hurt," he warned.

"Okay."

He took his knife and ran it lightly down the back of her forearm. The knife was so sharp that that little bit of pressure was all he needed to make her arm start to bleed and sting. She could tell the cut was shallow, but the blood welled up, first slowly, than faster, and started to drip from her arm onto the tightly packed dirt road.

Kate pulled her arm back at the pain, giving Jacek one of her best death glares.

He didn't even acknowledge this. He just said, "Now wake up."

"Wake up?" she asked. "How do you expect me to just wake up?"

"You can figure it out. Just do it."

She was distracted as she wondered if she should press something against the wound. It hurt like hell.

"Kate," he repeated, "wake up."

"Fine," she growled, gritting her teeth.

She mentally shook herself. Closing her eyes, she tried to beat against the barrier of sleep.

"Wake up," she thought. "Wake up."

XXX

Kate gasped as she opened her eyes. Her whole body jerked, and she could feel her heart racing.

"Okay, I'm awake," she said calmly, trying to ease her reaction to the transition. "Now what?"

Her arm stung. Stung and tickled at the same time. She glanced at it and froze. A shiver went through her body, bringing ice everywhere it touched.

Blood was smeared over her arm and there were spots on the back of the couch. It seeped from her arm, dripping down her wrist and onto her blue silk shirt.

A scream tried to escape, and the only reason she didn't release it was because she couldn't. Her throat muscles had clamped shut. They were so tight she could barely breathe.

Panic was not a familiar feeling for Kate. She had seen so much horror that her mind usually bypassed panic. Terror, now, terror she occasionally felt, but there was never time for panic.

Kate closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. She forced her breathing and her heart to both slow.

"Beckett?" Esposito's voice made her eyes fly open again, but at least now the panic was gone.

"You've never seen a cut before?" she asked, sitting up quickly and ignoring the shaky feeling in her legs.

"What happened?"

"Could you get me a damp cloth, please?"

He studied her with a worried expression before nodding sharply and disappearing. Kate took the opportunity to examine the wound. It was still seeping blood. Even though it was shallow, it was quite a gash. It was also in the same arm as the one Jacek had given her in her dream. Not only that, she decided as she studied the couch, there was no way she could have cut herself while she was napping.

She pushed this conclusion to the back of her mind as Esposito came in with her damp cloth. She took the cloth and wiped off her arm as best as she could. Then, she dabbed at the cut, soaking up some of the blood still emerging. When that didn't help, she pressed the cloth to her arm. The rough cloth hurt against her cut, but at least she could no longer see the blood.

"Are you okay?"

She gave him a look that made his glance slide away.

"Any news on the Woon case?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Our test results came back."

Kate forgot about the wound in her arm and looked up at him sharply. "And?"

"Well, there was DNA on the glass and a partial retrievable print. The DNA was a close match to Woon's but not exact, which means..."

"He had a relative visit him the night of his death."

"Yes."

"And the shovel?"

"It was definitely our murder weapon. There were bits of bone and blood embedded in the steel. Tests showed that they belonged to Ian Woon."

"Any prints on that?"

"No, and they haven't been able to match the one on the glass."

"Dammit."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Okay, I want you and Ryan to interview the family again. Find out if they know who visited Woon that night."

"Will do."

"I think I'm going to request Woon's financials. When in doubt, follow the money."

Esposito nodded and left the room. When she was sure he was gone, Kate lifted the cloth from her arm. The blood had stopped, and the cut was starting to look a lot less nasty. Even so, its implications made her stomach turn and her head whirl.

What was she supposed to think?

People just didn't fall to sleep and wake up somewhere else. People weren't kidnapped and taken to another world to be used in some evil ritual. Sorcerers didn't exist. Thinking they might made her head hurt...but thinking of Castle really locked up in a dark prison waiting to die made her heart hurt.

She had a choice in front of her. To believe or not to believe. The rational part of her mind told her she was crazy to even consider it. Still, there was the gash in her arm. It was pretty irrefutable. Not believing would be easier. For a very long time, Kate had been telling herself that magic did not exist in reality. Since her mother's death, she had built her world around this fact. But Castle believed. And sometimes, just sometimes, the writer was right.

Calmly, Kate got up from the couch. She made her call about Ian Woon's financials and was told she had about a three hour wait. With nothing to do for three hours, she decided to go see Castle. Maybe, just maybe, seeing him would make it all make sense.

XXX

He had taken over a hundred pictures of her already. He had some small, grainy ones taken on his cell phone, and there were better quality ones from his camera (like the one of her just out of the shower and the one of her hugging a pretty girl.)

He had wanted to plaster the pictures all over his wall, but he was afraid someone would see. He didn't want anyone to know. He wanted to keep Detective Beckett all to himself.

This thought made him remember the man and he frowned. What business did Detective Beckett have kissing that man when she belonged to him?

Anger bubbled inside of him, and he let it. He would have her. He would.

XXX

Kate was hesitant as she walked into his room. Martha was sitting there with him, holding his hand, and Kate didn't want to intrude.

He was looking better. His face was pale, but a lot of the tubes and wires had been taken away.

At the sound of the door, Martha glanced up. Kate smiled at her, and Martha smiled back.

"Look, Richard," she said, "Detective Beckett has come to see you."

"Hi," she said to Martha.

"Hello. Richard and I have just been having a discussion about the theatre. As you can see, he found it very exciting."

Kate appreciated her try at humour and showed her so by squeezing the other woman's hand gently.

"I'm just going to leave you alone to have some privacy," Martha continued.

"You don't have to go."

"It's all right, Kate. I'm going to go have something to eat."

"Okay. Thanks."

Kate took the seat vacated by Castle's mother. She just studied him for a bit, her eyes roving over his face. There was nothing in it to indicate anything was amiss. He might have just drifted off; she almost expected him to open his eyes at any moment.

"I see you're still avoiding work," was what she started with. She wanted time to order her thoughts so she could say what she needed to say. She hoped that way they would come out sounding less crazy than they did in her head. "I know you'd go to great lengths to avoid writing, but this is a little ridiculous."

She reached out and ran a hand over his forehead, brushing his hair back. What secrets were locked away in that mind of his? Had Castle ever heard of a Shadow Walker?

"Something strange is happening, Castle," she said slowly and softly. "And I don't know what to do about it. I've been told that you're not really here, which probably means that you can't hear me. I have to tell you about this anyway. It's too crazy to tell anyone else.

'I've started dreaming. Really strange, vivid, amazing dreams. At least, I thought they were dreams. Now, I'm not sure."

She looked down at her bandaged arm, remembering the way it had felt when Jacek cut her and the way the blood had flowed both in the dream and in the break room.

"Are you there, Castle? I wish there were some way you could give me a sign."

Of course, he remained silent. She sighed and continued, "I got hurt there. Not badly, but enough, and I was still wounded when I woke. How do you explain that? I can't. And if that's real, maybe it's all real. Maybe you are being held prisoner in a prison of darkness. Maybe I do need to save you. I'm sure Jacek's first priority isn't to make sure you live. It's probably to make sure that sorcerer guy doesn't use you in his ritual. It's probably a dead or alive situation. If that is the case, then you need me.

'I don't want to believe. This doesn't make sense to me. Help me. Help me see what I need to do."

She took a deep breath and voiced the words that had been on her mind for days. "I don't want you to die."

No matter what else was happening, this was the bare truth. She knew it was as she said it. The words felt right as they left her lips.

Hearing them, a light came on in her mind. That was all that mattered. Reality didn't matter. The existence or non existence of magic and other worlds did not matter. The only thing that mattered was that he best friend lived.

She might be going crazy. It was true. Maybe the dreams weren't real and she was delusional in her grief over her friend. That didn't matter either. She had to try everything she could to save Castle. That included throwing herself into a dream.

If he were locked up in the Prison of Darkness, she would find him and free him. She didn't care if it were crazy, not if her doing it made Castle wake up. She would give more than her sanity to save his life.

With that realization, Kate felt as if a weight were being lifted from her shoulders. It seemed so simple when she thought of it that way.

She knew talking to Castle would make it all make sense. It always did. No matter her problem, no matter what he said or didn't say, his presence seemed to make her look further inside herself. That never happened for her with anyone else.

"Thank you, Castle," she told him, reaching out the same fingers that had caressed his brow to take his hand. "That helped. A lot. Now, you hang on. Hang on tightly in that Prison of Darkness. You are probably wounded. Don't die. You can't die because I'm coming to get you."

His hand was warm in hers, and she could feel the faint beat of his pulse. It seemed to be telling her that everything was going to be all right.

XXX

Kate felt more like herself when she got back to the station. The financials on Woon were waiting for her, so she sat down to go through them. Nothing popped out at her, but she studied them carefully, just to make sure they were normal.

The phone rang, interrupting her. She answered with an absent, "Beckett."

"Detective Beckett?"

The voice sounded frightened, so Kate put down her papers to give it her full attention.

"Yes, this is Detective Beckett."

"This is Andrea Woon. Have you seen my son?"

"Your son?" Her son was dead. Did she mean the body was missing?

"Yes. Michael is missing. I haven't seen him since we got home from New York. I think he might have come back there."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, he was very impressed with the city. He kept saying how much he liked it. It's not like him to disappear, but he hasn't been the same since he lost his job and had to move back in with us."

Something niggled at Kate. "How long ago was this?"

"About six months."

"How did your boys get along, Mrs. Woon?"

"They got along okay. There was a little bit of jealousy now and then. That's to be expected with two competitive boys. Mostly, they loved each other. Ian even tried to get Michael a job at his real estate firm, but it didn't work out."

"Thanks for calling, Mrs. Woon. If I see Michael, I'll let you know. Detective Ryan and Esposito are on their way to go over some questions. They should be there soon."

"Thank you, Detective Beckett."

XXX

The smiles Emma and Howard Tutweiller gave her were a little more frayed and not more genuine than the ones on all the posters, but Kate had to give them credit for trying.

"What can we do to help you, Detective?" Mrs. Tutweiller asked. Her tone indicated that they were Very Busy People.

"I just had a few questions about Ian Woon. I need some clarification."

"What kind of clarification?" Mr. Tutweiller asked with a touch of frost in his voice.

"It's about Ian's brother."

His eyebrows shot up. "His brother?"

"Yes, I was told that he applied to work for you. Did he get an interview?"

Mrs. Tutweiller made a face. "You mean Michael?" Kate nodded. "Yes, we gave him an interview. We owed Ian that much for being such a model employee."

"And?"

"And nothing." This was Mr. Tutweiller. "He was sloppy. He could barely string two words together. His hair was a mess. He was definitely not Tutweiller material. It's hard to believe two brothers could be so different."

"How did he react to not getting the job?"

The Tutweillers shared a look, then Emma said, "We don't know. Ian told him."

Kate stood up to go. "Thank you for the information, Mrs. Tutweiller, Mr. Tutweiller."

"You're welcome," Mrs. Tutweiller said, looking a little puzzled.

As Kate left them, she started turning her suspicions over in her mind.

XXX

As the day came to an end, Kate found herself unable to focus on work. She left a message for Ryan and Esposito, telling them what she had learned from the Tutweillers so they could interview Michael, if he turned up. Then, she gave up the pretense of work and told the captain she was going home.

He looked her over as she told him, his eyes studying her face. Abruptly, he said, "You look tired, Kate."

Of course she was tired. Exhausted, actually. It had been a rough couple of days. And she thought she might still be in shock from waking up with Jacek's wound in her arm.

Kate just sighed. "I am."

"Are you worried about Castle?"

"Yes," she admitted.

"Listen, you have lots of personal time saved up. Why don't you take some?"

She looked down and played with the bandage on her arm. "I don't know..."

"Why don't you take the night to think about it? Sleep on it and call me in the morning."

"All right." She gave in. "I will."

She felt his eyes following her as she left.

XXX

Michael Woon was a jealous man. He had always been a jealous man. After all, he had grown up with a brother like Ian.

Ian was perfect. He had perfect hair and perfect clothes. He even had a perfect smile and perfect friends. Michael didn't have friends. He didn't have anything. Ian was good in school and, though he wasn't good at sports, he was still better than Michael. Michael wasn't good at anything.

The words from his childhood still rang through his mind, cutting and bleeding where ever they landed: Why can't you be more like Ian? If Ian can do it, so can you.

It was a relief when Ian left for college. Michael was sure it was finally his turn to shine. His parents ruined his plans when they spoke more about the son who was gone than to the one who was left. Michael became invisible.

Ian had passed through college with flying colors, and Michael had flunked out. Ian had moved to New York City, and Michael was left in New Jersey.

It went on and on. Ian continued to have everything, and Michael continued to have nothing.

Michael fell and fell until he hit rock bottom. Then, for the first time in his life, Ian had offered him a small thread of hope. No more living with his parents. No more chump change made from helping the women around the neighborhood with their gardens.

There was a job opening at the very elegant place where Ian worked. An elegant place in a fantastic city working for some very rich and famous people. Ian promised to put in a good word for Michael. He promised!

Ian held out that thread of hope and then, at the last minute, he cut it. He smashed through Michael's new dreams like a hammer through fine china. The fragments dug deep, embedding themselves in Michael's soul.

He had shown Ian, shown everyone. If there was one thing Michael could do, it was destroy. He had learned this from a lifetime of failure. And it had felt good.

It had been so easy. He went to Ian filled with rage. His brother had tried to calm him, offered him wine. Michael took it to lull Ian into a false sense of security. Ian fell for it. That was the last—and quite possibly the first—mistake Mr. Perfection had ever made.

Thinking about it made Michael smile. His brother had been so surprised. His blood had been so red. It was glorious.

Now Michael knew that he wasn't nothing. He wasn't a loser. He could go out and get what he wanted.

And he wanted Detective Kate Beckett.

XXX

Kate put off going to bed that night. She knew it was foolish, but her stomach fluttered each time she thought of what would happen.

She took her time with all of her nightly rituals, but eventually it came down to her, in her pajamas, staring at her bed.

Annoyed with herself, she pushed her unease away. She set her clock and curled up under her covers. Once she was warm, her worry melted away, and her perceptions softened as she fell into sleep.

XXX

This time, she found herself in front of the inn. It was dark and overcast and, for the first time, she found the air cold. A few stars twinkled through the clouds, and there was a slight hint of the outline of the moon. Kate shivered in the cool night air.

She looked down and found herself once more in her pajamas. The cold dampness of the ground seeped into her bare feet. It seemed that whatever she went to sleep in was what she had on when she appeared here.

She wondered how much time had passed this time. Was she too late? Maybe Castle was already dead.

The thought spurred her forward, and she hurried to knock on the door of the inn. If this was as real as Jacek claimed, then what happened here mattered. She might be the only one who could rescue Castle and save his life.

Her reluctance to come here seemed more foolish, even though she knew it was her way of coping with the fact that everything she thought she believed was coming apart.

She pushed away the self doubt and knocked again, this time more firmly.

It took a long while for someone to come to the door. When it finally opened, Kate was confronted by a sleepy-eyed Nahla. The blond girl was yawning, and she had a serious case of bed head. Like Kate, she was in her pajamas, but hers was a long white nightdress that brushed the floor. It was lacy and flowy and not what Kate would have pictured the girl wearing at all.

"Kate?" Nahla blinked, trying to focus her sleepy eyes.

"Yeah. It's me. Did I wake you?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "Of course I did. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You can't control what time it is here when you go to sleep."

"Exactly what time is it? And what day? Has Jacek left for the Prison yet?"

"It's...um...probably around three hours past mid night. No, Jacek hasn't left yet. How do you know Jacek anyway?"

"We met this afternoon. At least it was this afternoon my time. When did I have that meeting with your mother?"

"That was yesterday. Kate, you're hurt."

Nahla reached forward and took her arm. Kate had taken the bandage off to get in the shower, so the puckered wound was visible.

"Jacek."

"Jacek did this to you?" Her eyes widened.

"He was trying to prove a point."

"I was trying to show her that she wasn't delusional or dreaming. If she's going to keep popping in here, she had to know what's at stake."

The voice came from behind Nahla and both girls jumped. Nahla opened the door wider so Kate could come in, and Kate saw Jacek lurking in the shadows. He was wearing nothing but a loose set of pants, and he looked imposing and impressive in the faint light coming through the window.

"Did you have to cut her?" Nahla asked crossly.

"It's only a flesh wound."

"Still."

He just grinned at her. It made him look creepy.

"It's fine," Kate told her, giving Jacek a glare.

"So, are you ready to answer my question?" he asked.

"Which question was that?"

"Were you planning on coming to the Prison of Darkness with me?"

"You're certainly not going without me."

"Me either," Nahla declared.

Both Kate and Jacek turned to look at her.

"What? I can hold my own. I've been traveling the Old Ways since I was ten. I can use a blade. I even know some magic, even if I'm nowhere near the Mystic my mother is."

"Nahla..." Jacek protested.

"I have as much right to protect myself as anyone else. If Rithisak completes his ritual, he's going to be able to find the Old Ways. I'll die the same as everyone else."

"That leads me to a couple of questions," Kate said before Jacek could reply. "One, how was I able to find the Old Ways? Two, Castle was shot in the real...I mean, in my world. Shouldn't he be shot here? If he's wounded, how can we be sure he hasn't died? Didn't you say your spy had disappeared?"

"That's more that two questions."

"Jacek!" Nahla exclaimed, then said, "Don't mind him. My cousin has issues."

"Your cousin?"

"I know. He's such a jerk, but he's family."

"Nahla," he growled.

"Be quiet. In answer to your first question, I'm not exactly sure. We think it's the Shadow Walker—Richard Castle's—magic. He has some of the old magic in him."

"How can he?" Kate asked. "He's from my world."

"If you had a child in this world, your child would stay here...Unless, in your desperation, you brought the child back with you. Even then, that child would only be able to visit you when he was asleep."

"Are you trying to say that Castle's father was a Shadow Walker?"

She shook her head. "Probably not. Shadow Walkers are too rare. It was probably one of his ancestors."

"Don't a lot of the..." She searched for the name but couldn't find it.

"The Kionji. Have ancestors of the old magic, you mean? Yes, that's true, but over the years they have lost the ability to find the old magic within them. They have been born of a new magic."

"Then what about Castle?"

"He's a Shadow Walker. That's why he's the one who has to be sacrificed during the ritual."

"Oh. And my second question?"

"Rithisak probably healed him. He wouldn't want his sacrifice to die before he could do the ritual."

This puzzled Kate even more. "Then how come his body hasn't healed in my world? I brought back the wound from this one."

Nahla opened her mouth and then she closed it. Eventually, she admitted, "I don't know."

"I can answer that one."

All three turned to see Kalahn entering the room. Where Nahla looked as if she had just tumbled out of bed, her mother looked as if she'd been up for hours.

"Mother, did we wake you?" Nahla asked, looking penitent.

"No." She shook her head. "A call came through the crystals. I merely heard voices and came to investigate."

"So, you know whether Castle is alive and why his body in the hospital has not changed?" Kate asked a little more sharply than she intended.

"I do. Let's all sit down, and I'll make some breakfast. Nahla, light the lamp."

"Yes, Mother."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Kate said.

"It's quite simple when you know how being a Shadow Walker works. Your magic fabricates an exact duplicate of your body to function in whatever world you are traveling in. Your consciousness is the only part that can't be duplicated, so your original body sleeps. For however long you sleep, you, in essence, have two bodies. When your original body wakes, your bodies integrate, becoming one again."

"So, if Rithisak has healed Castle, he won't be healed in our world until he wakes up."

"Exactly."

"And he won't wake until we rescue him from the Prison of Darkness."

"Right."

"And if he dies in the Prison of Darkness, his mind and consciousness die with him?"

"Yes."

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow," Jacek spoke again.

"Don't you mean this morning?" Nahla asked.

"Whatever."

"I'm going to make some breakfast," Kalahn said again. "You three sit at a table. When I get back, we'll discuss what needs to be done."

XXX

Rick Castle lay on the hard bed in his cell. It was dark out, so there was nothing to see. The wind was cool as it blew through his slit of a window, making the air cold and damp. Rick shivered a little and tried not to be homesick. He wasn't entirely successful.

He wondered what they were all doing without him. His mother. Alexis. Gina. Beckett. Lanie. Ryan and Esposito. Did they miss him? Were they wondering where he was? The same thoughts had been bouncing around in his head for weeks.

As he had been doing since the beginning, he closed his eyes and tried to relax himself. A scene came to his mind and he let it. He wondered if the player would be Nikki or Kate this time.

He knew it would be Kate as soon as he saw her. The two of them were subtly different in his mind—their looks, their expressions, the things that went through their minds. Kate was not as hard as Nikki. She was tough, but that was not the same as being hard.

In is mind, she was standing there. Her hair reached past her shoulders now (Nikki's was still the short, cropped style that Kate had when he first met her.) It was long and pretty, giving her a softer look that often fooled suspects—until she had them in the box.

Her face held an expression of incredulity. It often did when he spoke to her. Sometimes, he said outrageous things just to bring it out. In his vision, she was clad in her leather jacket. It was small and tight and he loved it. It made her slim body seem even more lithe and graceful.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Castle?" she asked.

"It wasn't my fault," he told her in his mind. "I tried to stay in the car."

"Where have I heard that before?"

"I'm so sorry, but you are going to save me, aren't you?"

"Why should I?"

He gave her his most charming smile. "Because you love me."

She rolled her eyes at him, and he choked up. He actually choked up . He wished she were really there. So much. He was sure she'd be able to think of an escape plan and, unlike Esposito, she wouldn't leave him behind.

In his imagination, he reached out and touched her face. He never would have dared to do that in real life, not unless he had a good reason.

He had to believe he'd see her again. He had to believe he'd see all of them again. It was the only thing that kept him going.

As the light of dawn started to peek in on him, he checked off another night in his mind. He didn't know how many more he could take.

XXX

It wasn't long after dawn when Rick heard someone at the door. A feeling of unease went through him, and his body went still. It was too early for his meal.

The door squeaked open, and he scrambled to a sitting position. His stomach clenched in anticipation and fear. He tried to ignore the way his palms had started to sweat despite the coldness of his cell.

His first impression of the man who came through the door was that he was tall. Not many people seemed tall to Rick. He was six three and even Kate Beckett, who was almost six feet tall herself, seemed small to him.

His next impression was that the man was dressed strangely. His captor was dressed in a full length robe that brushed the floor as the man walked. It was of a dark blue so deep that it caressed the eyes as it rippled with movement.

Rick looked up from the man's robe to the man's eyes and forgot everything else. As a writer, and as a follower of Detective Kate Beckett, Rick had seen a lot of evil faces. He had seen mobsters and serial killers. He had seen child murderers and drug dealers. In all his years, he had never looked into eyes as evil as the ones that stared at him now. Any ideas Rick had of overpowering his captor and escaping evaporated.

"Richard Castle?" The man's voice was dark. Rick had never considered someone's tone as a color before, but he could almost see the blackness float from the man's mouth.

"I am Richard Castle," Rick admitted, trying not to flinch as the man's eyes narrowed.

"You are from New York City?" The words seemed to taste funny in his mouth.

"Yes. Can you tell me where I am?"

The man ignored him to ask, "You are a Shadow Walker?"

Rick's face screwed up in puzzlement. "A Shadow Walker?"

"Are you or are you not a Shadow Walker?" The man's voice filled with soft but cold anger.

"Tell me where I am."

The man moved across the room so fast that he was almost a blur. Rick gasped as he found himself face to face with his captor.

"I will ask you one more time. Are you a Shadow Walker?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. I've never heard of a Shadow Walker."

The other man stared into his eyes, probing. After a few seconds, he nodded, turned, and walked out.

XXX

To Kate's surprise, Kalahn did not object to Nahla's desire to go with them. She just accepted it as fact. The sun had already been up at least an hour when Aizik came yawning into the room. His eyes opened wide when he saw the group around the table.

"What's going on?"

"We're going to breach the Prison of Darkness," his sister told him cheerily.

"We are?"

She laughed. "Not you. Just us."

He frowned. "Why not me?"

"Come in and sit down. We were just telling Kate what's involved in getting to the Prison of Darkness," his mother said.

The Prison of Darkness was several days ride away, after leaving the Old Ways. Kate was concerned about what would happen to her when she disappeared and came back. She wondered if there was a way to attach herself to Nahla and Jacek. Kalahn didn't seem to think this would be a problem. She had said there were ways and that it should be even easier since Richard's spell seemed to have attached Kate to Nahla.

"The most important thing to remember," Kalahn continued after Aizik had taken his place at the table, "is that once you leave the Old Ways you are no longer protected. Can you protect yourself, Kate Beckett?"

Without hesitation, Kate answered, "Yes."

Jacek looked as if he had his doubts. Of course, to him it must seem as if anyone without an arsenal on his chest would not be able to fight.

"Can you use a blade?" Kalahn continued.

"I'm a cop. That doesn't often come up." Then, she paused and said, "I did some fencing when I was younger."

"Fencing?"

"It's with a small, thin blade."

"Like a rapier?"

Kate shrugged. "Sort of."

"Do you think you'd be able to use a blade with sides that were sharp as well as the point?"

"Well, I don't think I'll stab myself, if that's what you're asking. I'd rather have my gun."

All four looked puzzled, so Kate waved it off as unimportant.

"I don't know if arming her is such a great idea," Jacek said, eyeing her warily.

"If you're that concerned," Nahla told him crossly, "why don't you test her?"

"If I do carry a weapon," Kate asked Kalahn, ignoring the cousins, "what are the chances that I'll have to use it?"

"Greater than those that you won't."

"What do you say, Kate?" Jacek asked her. "I'd rather know that you won't cut your leg off rather than waiting to find out that you will. Since I'm officially sent by the Council..."

"I don't care about the Council," Kate told him honestly. "I don't care what they sanction. I don't care how they function. All I care about is Castle. I'm going to go get him with you or without you. That means I really don't care what you think either."

Jacek glared at her with his hard, cold eyes. Kate met him stare for stare. She would not let him intimidate her.

"You'd never get there without me," he said after they had sized each other up.

"Then I'd die trying."

"You talk tough. Why don't you show me what you've got?"

"I don't have to prove anything to you."

"You're wasting time," Kalahn interrupted. "If Kate says she can defend herself, then I believe her."

Jacek just grunted.

Kalahn ignored him and told Kate, "I'm going to make you a charm that attaches you more firmly to Nahla. It shouldn't take long."

She got up and left the room. Jacek got up a few minutes later, shadowed by Aizik.

When they were alone, Nahla asked, "Is Castle your husband?"

"No," Kate replied immediately.

"Your boyfriend?"

Kate shook her head and answered again, "No."

"Oh." Nahla looked down and blushed. "I just thought that if you were close enough for him to bring you with him..."

"We're friends, Nahla. Just friends. And we work together."

"Is he a...whatever you said earlier too?"

"Castle? A cop?" Kate laughed at this. "No. He's more of a creative consultant."

"Meaning?"

"He helps me to figure things out." It was her turn to drop her eyes to the table. "You know, I'm still not sure all of this is real."

"Even with..." Kate raised her eyes to see Nahla wave vaguely at her injured arm.

"Yes. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that it could be real. There is a possibility, and if I ignore the possibility, I could be leaving Castle to his death. That's something I will not do."

"I understand."

"You do?"

"Sometimes doing nothing has too high a price."

"Exactly."

XXX

Kate opened her eyes, feeling disoriented. She had no idea why she was now looking at a ceiling instead of at Nahla's face. The confusion lasted for several seconds before she realized she was lying down.

Sunlight came in through a crack in her curtain. It made a small line of light across Kate's face. She blinked a couple of times, getting used to the idea of being back in her own bed.

She wondered what time it was. A quick glance at her clock showed that she was late for work. She frowned, trying to remember if she had set her alarm. She seemed to remember doing so. Sitting up, she saw that she hadn't slid the button over far enough.

"Damn." She jumped out of bed and started throwing off her pajamas.

She was still changing her underclothes when her cell phone rang. Since she was half naked, she was glad she didn't have a picture phone.

"Beckett."

"Where are you?" It was Esposito's voice.

"I overslept. I just woke up."

"Captain told me to call and check on you."

"Is that Beckett?" She heard the captain's voice in the background.

"Yep."

"Transfer her to my phone."

"Hold on, Beckett," Esposito told her. "You're going for a ride."

Kate grimaced at his joke.

It was only a moment before she heard, "Beckett?"

"Yeah. It's me."

"Are you okay?"

"I overslept."

"You are wearing yourself out."

"I'm fine."

"Did you give any thought to my suggestion from yesterday?"

His suggestion? What suggestion? It slowly came back to her. Personal time. A couple of days. Maybe a week. Time to save Castle. Time to find out if what she did in her dreams could really affect Castle in the here and now.

She wanted to catch Ian Woon's murderer, but she wanted to save Castle more.

"What do you think I should do?"

"It's your call, Beckett."

"Well," She let her breath out in a sigh, "my mind is not really on work. I owe it to the victims to be completely focused, completely there. I need to be able to think outside of the box."

"And?"

"I think I will take a week off. Ryan and Esposito are close to closing the Ian Woon case, and nothing much more has been happening."

"I think that's wise."

"Do you think I should come in today?"

"Let's say your leave has started already."

"Okay, Captain. Thanks."

"Just look after Castle, Beckett."

"I will." In whatever way I can, she added in her mind as she hung up her phone.

That's when she realized she was half dressed with nowhere to go. Actually, she thought as she looked down, she was in her underwear. That made her smile as she contemplated Jacek's reaction if she fell asleep that way. It might even be worth the embarrassment.

Her smile faded as she thought of Castle. She wondered what this Prison of Darkness was like. Was he there alone in the dark? Had Rithisak hurt him? Was he asleep or awake? Was he afraid? Did he even know what had happened? She wished there was a way that she could talk to him.

XXX

He knew where she lived. He had followed her home once and saw her going into the hotel. It wasn't the place he would have expected her to live. Instead, he would have expected a sleek studio apartment. Sleek and elegant, just like she was.

He hadn't seen her with that man again, the one she kissed. This knowledge made him smile. Maybe she was saving herself for him. Maybe she knew how much he wanted her.

XXX

Kate had tried to go back to sleep. She had gotten into her clothes, noticing with a frown that her feet were dirty despite her before sleep shower. She chose sweat pants and a tank top because they were comfortable if not elegant. She even made sure she had a pair of comfortable but tough slippers on her feet.

After an hour of lying there, switching positions every couple of minutes, and listening to the thoughts whirling around in her head, Kate decided there was no way she was going back to sleep. Even though she was exhausted, her nerves were wound tighter than a spring.

Her covers felt as if they were trying to suffocate her. She kicked them off of her body and threw herself onto her back. She tried to close her eyes, but they popped open again, and she found herself staring at the ceiling.

"Screw it," she finally growled and got up.

What she really wanted to do was fall asleep and save Castle. She had already made up her mind to believe. She would believe for him—at least until it was over or she found out she was crazy. It wasn't an easy thing for her, but now that she was committed, she wanted to throw herself into it. The problem was that her body wouldn't cooperate.

Kate began to pace, gnawing on her lip. Who knew what was happening or how much time was passing while she was here stubbornly awake.

Then, she got an idea. It was true that she couldn't sleep in her hotel room. Maybe it was time to do something different. She had just the thing.

She was going to go sleep with Castle.

XXX

Lanie Parish was deep in the insides of some poor murdered woman when her cell phone rang. With a sigh, she withdrew her hands and slowly peeled off her gloves. The phone rang four times, then five, before she finally got to it.

She answered, "hello," just in time to hear the line go dead.

She took off her robe and glasses and headed to her desk. As she went, she looked to see who the missed call was from. Her eyebrows rose as she saw it was from Javier Esposito. She quickly called him back.

"Esposito."

"Did you just call me?"

"Yeah, it was me."

"What do you want? Did you need clarification on Ian Woon?"

"No, nothing like that. It's Beckett."

"Beckett?" Lanie sat and was suddenly giving him her whole attention. "Is she okay?"

"She's taking a week off work because of what happened with Castle."

"Kate never takes time off."

"I know."

She thought for a moment before saying, "I'll check on her after work."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

XXX

At the hospital, Kate passed Gina in the lobby. Gina gave her a quick update on Castle before rushing off to an author's signing. Castle's condition hadn't changed, a fact which, at this point, was no surprise to Kate.

She continued on towards Castle's room, discovering that there were no other visitors. This was a relief. She had no intentions of telling anyone that she was there because she couldn't sleep.

The nurse on duty smiled at Kate as she walked by. Kate inclined her head in acknowledgment.

"Good morning, Castle," she said quietly as she entered and went to the chair.

If this body were just a shell and the real Castle were really out there somewhere, she wondered what he was doing and if he were safe.

"The things I agree to believe for you."

She looked down at the shallow cut in her arm and gently traced it with a finger.

"If you were here, I know you would tell me to go to sleep already and just get it over with. So, how do I do it? How do I just let go and go to sleep? I'm tired, but I've been tired ever since this thing started. I don't really think this is supposed to be an every night kind of thing, but here we are. Trapped...but at least I can come home."

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Sitting there with Castle, she started to relax. Still, the chair was uncomfortable, and she remembered how stiff she was the last time.

Then, an idea came to her. As it went through her mind, she felt her face color. It would be embarrassing if anyone caught her, but she knew she had to get back to sleep. So much depended on it.

"I don't want to hear one word about this when you wake up, Castle. Not one word," she said lowly as she stood up and slipped off her shoes.

She also took off her jacket and placed it on the back of the chair. The shoes and jacket would be useful in the other world, but she was more concerned about the extra clothing keeping her awake. After all, she could always borrow something from Nahla.

There were still a couple of tubes attached to Castle, but Kate was able to gently move those aside. She placed Castle's hand on his stomach to make more room. Feeling foolish, she looked once around to make sure no one was watching. She knew they were alone, but she automatically checked anyway. Hoping that no one would catch her, especially Gina or Alexis...or Ryan or Esposito...Kate carefully got into the bed next to Castle. Even though she was on top of the covers and he was under, she could feel his warmth and his breath.

The bed was small, but Kate lay on her side curled up against him. There was just enough room so that she was not tumbling backwards off the bed.

She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Suddenly, she was hit by an unexpected wave of sorrow and loss. Tears pressed against her eyelids and her throat tightened.

Kate hadn't realized until just that moment just how much she missed him.

A million images of Castle went through her head. How annoying he could be and how sweet. His love for his daughter. His sense of honour and decency. The way his heart went out to a young woman in distress. How he always knew the thing to say to make her smile. She knew her life was better for having met him. It was just really hard to tell him so. If she didn't get him out of this, if he didn't survive, she didn't know what she would do.

"You'd go on," his voice said in her mind. "You'd go on because you have to. You'd go on because you have the strength to survive. I have faith in you."

"Let's hope it's not misplaced," she whispered in answer to the voice.

Fighting away the tears and sorrow, Kate made her mind go blank. She only let herself think of and feel the warmth of his body next to hers. She counted his breaths as they lulled her. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In...

XXX

Kate found herself outside Safe Haven. She was in the rumpled sweats she had put on that morning and in her sock feet.

"Kate?" She turned to see Nahla standing behind her.

The girl had her hair up in pigtails and she was wearing a belt with a scabbard dangling off of it around her waist.

"You're still here?"

"Well, yeah. You just left about ten minutes ago."

"It's been hours for me. I was afraid I'd missed you."

"We're just finishing up our packing. Mother is still working on your charm, so I made up a bag for you. You're quite a bit taller than I am, and a lot slimmer, but we had a man stay here once who was built kind of like you. When people leave clothes, Mother always washes them and saves them for someone in need. I'd say you were someone in need. You don't mind wearing men's clothes, do you?"

"To tell you the truth, besides your mother's dress, I can't really tell the difference."

Nahla's cheeks dimpled in a smile. "Good. Father has some swords in the back. You should come pick one that's light and easy for you to use, even with just a small bit of experience. I've also found an arm sheath and a leg sheath for you, if you're comfortable with knives. You didn't happen to bring that whatchamacallit you said that you fight with, did you?"

"You mean my gun?"

"I guess so. Did you bring it?"

Kate hadn't even thought of that. "No."

"I didn't think you would. Jacek is the only person I know who sleeps with his weapon." Changing tracks suddenly, she asked, "Would you like something for your feet?"

Kate looked down and wiggled her toes in her socks. "That would be nice."

"I thought so."

As Nahla led her into the inn, Kate asked, "Do you really think I'll need the clothes? I go home every time I wake up."

"Well, I figured with the unknown time factor, it wouldn't hurt to be prepared. Maybe one of your nights will mean three of our days."

"Good point."

They made their way through the common room, where Aizik seemed to be sulking, and towards a door Kate had never been through.

There was a long hallway with a mural painted all over the sturdy wooden walls. It was of green forests and rolling fields, and there was a peaceful kind of joy in it. Doors interrupted the mural occasionally, and Kate could see a staircase at the end of the hall.

Nahla took out a keyring and went to the third door on the right.

"This is my father's study," she said as she unlocked the door and led Kate in.

It was a big room, with a desk and a bookcase. What really caught Kate's eye was the wall of weapons. Her mouth popped open as she stared at the gleaming steel. Mostly the weapons were swords, but she saw daggers, knives, and even a flail and a mace. All things which would have given Castle's old fashioned heart palpitations.

"Wow," was all that she could say.

"My father believes in being prepared...he also really likes weapons."

"Castle would have loved this."

"Does he enjoy fighting?"

Kate felt her mouth quirk up at the corner. "No, just playing, but death fascinates him."

"He sounds interesting."

"He's an enigma."

"But your enigma," Nahla said slyly.

"When he behaves," Kate admitted absently as she continued to study the weapons on the wall.

"This is the one I was thinking of," Nahla told her, going forward and taking a short, slim sword from its perch. Unlike a foil, which Kate was used to, both sides were sharp, and there was a nasty point on the end. "Unlike with a rapier, you don't only jab. You slash when you can. Here, hold it. See how it feels. That's important."

Kate took it gingerly, testing its weight. The blade was light, even for its size, and she gave an experimental slash. It went smoothly, and there was nothing awkward in the move.

"Good?"

"Yes."

Looking pleased, Nahla plucked a scabbard off the wall and handed it to Kate. The detective buckled it around her waist and took the knives Nahla passed her.

They were just leaving the room when they almost bumped into Nahla's mother.

"Oh, there you are," she said. Then she really looked at Kate and asked, "Have you changed?"

"I left and came back."

"Is Nahla going to get you some shoes?"

"I haven't gotten there yet."

"You were looking for us?" Kate asked.

"Yes," Kalahn's attention turned from her daughter to Kate, "I have finished your anchor."

She held up a ring, just a simple band of gold engraved with vines and leaves. It was thin and elegant in its simplicity. Kate thought it was beautiful.

"This is it?" she asked Kalahn.

"Yes, this is it. Wear it or carry it in your pocket at all times, whether you are here or in your New York City. That way, whenever you return, it will be near Nahla."

Kate took it gently, almost afraid she'd drop it. She slipped it on her hand and liked the way it looked.

"I've been meaning to ask you," she said after one last glance at the ring, "is there a way I can see or communicate with Castle? I'd like to know if he's still okay."

Kalahn thought about this. "You won't be able to talk to him. You need to both have stones for that. Whether you can see him or not...well, maybe. Sometimes it works with just one stone, but only sometimes."

"I didn't know we could spy with those," Nahla said.

Kate glanced at her. "I thought you were a Mystic too."

"Apprentice Mystic," she corrected. "I'm just learning."

"It's wrong to spy with these," Kalahn told Nahla sternly. "You should never try except for in an emergency. And, then, most of the time, it does not work."

"Do you think Kate's connection to Richard will make it easier?"

"It might."

"I'd like to try," Kate told them.

"Are you ready yet, Nahla?" A growly voice traveled to them down the hallway. Jacek came into view, a frown on his face. He stopped short when he saw Kate. "You're back."

"Trying to leave without me?"

"We've got to get going," was his only reply.

"We're almost ready," Nahla said. "Give us a few more minutes."

"Fine," he said and left, his expression unchanging.

Kalahn continued as if Jacek hadn't interrupted, "Nahla, you find Kate some boots for the journey. Her feet look about the same size as yours. While you're doing that, I'll take her to consult the Stones."

"Okay."

Nahla went to the staircase, but Kalahn led Kate to a door across from the one they had just exited. The opening of the door revealed another study. It was full of strange and wonderful objects and had to be Kalahn's.

"The Stones are here. Sit."

Most of the chairs were filled with books and objects. Kate found one that had less than the others and gently moved the clutter to the floor. Kalahn cleaned off another chair, a lot less gently, and brought it over so she could sit facing Kate. She went to a nearby cupboard and drew out a large, flat stone. It was about the size and color of an empty piece of paper. It looked as if it should be very heavy, but Kalahn carried it with ease.

She sat in her chair with her knees touching Kate's and put the stone between them.

"How does this work?" Kate asked.

"For many things, you must use words or rituals to unlock the potential inside. For others, darker objectives, you use objects or living things. Some things are simpler. For those, the intent is enough. It is so with the Stones."

"What does that mean?"

"I will concentrate on the Stone, and hopefully your Richard Castle's image will appear."

Kate took the hint and fell silent. Kalahn closed her eyes and gently ran delicate hands against the sides of the stone. The woman's brow furrowed, and her expression went blank.

Kate stared at the stone's surface and waited. She waited and waited and waited. She was almost ready to give up when the surface of the stone began to swirl. Curiously, she leaned forward until her long hair brushed the polished surface. The swirls continued and got more violent. They went around and around until Kate thought she might be sick. Then, the colors came. They whirled for a couple of seconds before the image, suddenly, cleared.

It was him. Kate stared at him. She stared until her eyes burned. She just couldn't get enough.

He was scruffy, she had to admit. His hair was sticking up and greasy. His clothes, what little he had, were tattered and worn. Grime coated his bare chest and his face. A small growth of beard lightly covered the bottom half of his face. He was in a dim cell, but she could faintly see the scar in his mid section. The scar where he had been shot.

He was pacing the cell, and his eyes were distant and sad. She couldn't remember seeing that look on his face more than just a couple of times. He seemed so lost. She wanted to reach out for him.

And that's when she really started to believe.

Her fingertips joined her hair in brushing the stone. She wished she could wipe it all away—the cell, the dirt, the expression on his face. Seeing him like that hurt her in a way she couldn't explain.

The swirls started again. They swept across the picture, wiping all traces of Castle away.

Kate continued staring for a few minutes at the place where he had been. The stone was cold and silent. Empty and lifeless, as if her friend had never been there.

Kalahn's eyes opened and she looked into Kate's face. "You saw him?"

"I saw him."

"How is he?"

"Dirty. Scruffy. But alive."

"Then we still have hope."

Kate nodded, longing to see Castle's face again. She was already thinking of ways she could tease him about having a beard.

Kalahn took away the stone and Kate stood. "Then, I guess we'd better get started."

XXX

Martha Rodgers walked slowly down the white corridor. She was tired. Physically tired. Mentally tired. She was having the longest week of her life. She hadn't been this worried about Richard since he had had pneumonia as a child.

She opened his hospital room door, expecting to see him still and lifeless like all the times before. What she hadn't been expecting was the extra body lying next to him. The scene looked so natural that Martha had to smile.

For some reason, Kate Beckett had crawled up into bed with Richard and curled herself against him. Her head was resting on his shoulder and one arm was flung against his chest. Martha could almost imagine that her son was smiling. If he only knew he had the pretty detective right where he wanted her.

Detective Beckett looked so peaceful. Much like Martha herself, Kate had been looking tired and rather haunted lately. Now, the lines had smoothed from her face, and she was sleeping soundly. Martha didn't want to disturb her. Kate needed her comfort and her sleep, and Martha decided she wouldn't be taking it from her.

She turned and went out, softly closing the door behind her.

XXX

As they walked away from the inn, Kate found Nahla's boots quite comfortable. They were made of some kind of soft leather, and it was worn in to be pliable. The weight on her hip was not quite as comfortable. It felt odd and Kate almost felt as if she were listing to the left, like a boat. She had a pack flung over her right shoulder which sort of evened things out a little.

Kate considered herself a woman in better than average shape, but, after a couple of hours of walking, her feet hurt, despite the comfortable shoes, her back hurt from carrying the pack, and her body and muscles were protesting.

The walk didn't seem to be bothering her companions. They set a brisk pace, and Nahla chattered like a magpie. Her cousin, on the other hand, hadn't said more than a couple of words.

Kate knew that it was a walk of a couple of hours to get from the inn to one of the places you could leave the Old Ways. In the inn, that hadn't seemed like a long way. In reality, knowing she had to walk another hour or two seemed excruciating. She was tempted to wake herself up just to get a break, but she was afraid too much time would pass. Besides, knowing that somewhere she had another body sleeping next to Castle was comforting.

As they walked, Kate tuned out Nahla and thought about what she had seen in the stone. Really seeing him had been like a physical punch to the gut. He looked so awful...and so real. And so lonely. If she could have, she would have gone right through that rock to get him. She had to hold on to the fact that at least he was still alive and that she was doing her best to make sure he stayed that way.

Eventually, Nahla stopped chattering and said, "Would you like some lunch?"

Kate realized that she was starving. "Yes. What have we got?"

"I don't know. Mother packed us some things. Are you hungry, Jacek?"

Jacek shrugged, which Kate took to mean he could eat.

"Sit down, Kate," Nahla told her. "You look tired."

Kate gratefully let herself drop to the road. "I am. I'm not used to walking for three hours at a time."

"You're used to horses, huh?" Nahla asked as she dug through her pack. "We don't have horses on the Old Ways, so we're used to walking where we need to go."

Kate didn't correct her. Instead, she said, "I'm used to sparring for hours, but this..."

"Fighting and walking use different muscles." Then she made a triumphant cry and pulled out a small cloth bag. "Lunch."

She settled down in the road beside Kate and opened the sack. While she was rummaging around in it, Kate shrugged off her own pack. After a moment's thought, she also undid her belt.

"What are you doing?" Jacek asked, coming over to join them.

"That thing is rubbing my hip raw. I'm just giving it a little break. I think I'm going to carry it in my pack for awhile."

"Carry it in your...Are you crazy?"

"It's too tall for the pack to do up. It'll stick out and I'll be able to get at it easily."

He glowered at her, so she said, "If it'll make you feel better, I'll wear the arm and leg knives."

He just shook his head.

"I'm sure that will be fine," Nahla said. "Now, let's eat."

XXX

Kate woke slowly, surrounded by a familiar scent. She was warm and comfortable. A warm breath stirred her hair, and she was rising and falling with the hypnotic rhythm of another's breathing.

Josh? she wondered groggily. No. It wasn't Josh. It was Castle.

Kate opened her eyes and blinked them sleepily. She didn't want to move. Wondering what time it was, she raised her arm to look at her watch. Something glinted, and her eyes were drawn to the ring on her finger. She studied it under the harsh hospital lights before completing her motion.

It was after two o'clock. She had been sleeping with Castle for over four hours. Even so, she was still tired and would have liked to go back to sleep. She supposed the three hours of walking could have had something to do with it.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she had been in the middle of reaching for her lunch when her body here had called her back. Getting something to eat would probably be a good idea.

With reluctance, she pulled away from Castle. Immediately, she missed his warmth. In her mind, an image of him in the prison cell overshadowed the one in front of her.

"It's going to be all right, Castle. I'm coming to get you."

She slid off of the bed and, as her feet hit the floor, noticed that she was still wearing Nahla's boots. She also noticed that the muscles in her legs ached.

Kate dropped into the chair and started massaging out some of the soreness. As she sat there, she remembered that Josh was supposed to meet her at her place that evening to take her to supper. She really didn't want to go. All she wanted to do was stay home and sleep. If she went out with Josh, all she'd be thinking about was Castle. All she'd want would be to be back with Nahla and Jacek on the way to rescue him. She decided to call Josh when she got home and tell him she was not feeling well. Hopefully, he would understand.

XXX

She was halfway done her meal at Remy's when her cell phone rang. Glancing at it, she saw that Josh had saved her the trouble of a phone call.

"Beckett."

"Hi, Kate. It's me."

"Hey."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm having a little snack at Remy's. I haven't been feeling well today, so I thought I'd better get something down."

"You're not feeling well?"

"No." She shook her head, even though he couldn't see it. "I think it's nerves or stress."

"Well, do you want to call it off for tonight?"

"Would you be mad?"

"Of course not, Kate. Is it okay if I come by later?"

"Sure, but I may be asleep."

"Get lots of rest."

"I'm planning on it."

Though there were subtle subtexts in what she said, for the most part her words were the truth.

Now that she was fed and she had talked to Josh, she felt much better. She was still exhausted, but her body felt lighter.

XXX

Kate was already yawning by the time she got back to the hotel. She was also feeling a little guilty for being awake. It had been three hours since she woke up beside Castle, and she didn't want to think about how much time might have passed in that other place. She did not want Jacek and Nahla to get to the prison without her. Mostly, this was because she didn't trust Jacek. She was afraid that he would take the easy way out and kill Castle. Nahla, she did trust, but she didn't know if the small girl could do much to stop her cousin once he made up his mind. She was so afraid that she would get there too late to do anything.

She had made two important stops on the way home from Remy's. The first was at a drugstore to pick up some over the counter sleeping pills. She decided to have them on hand in case she couldn't sleep. Her second stop had been to see a man about an apartment. She wouldn't have taken Woon's, but another one was available. Kate was delighted when she found out it was just in her price range. She had already signed the lease and the apartment would be ready for her on the first of December.

Even though she was exhausted, Kate decided to have a shower and maybe an apple before she went to sleep. She felt sweaty and icky from the dust from the road. She also wanted to change her clothes. It would be uncomfortable, but she decided to sleep with her new boots on. That way, she wouldn't have to travel any more in her bare feet.

She debated sleeping with her gun. The whole time she was in the shower, she thought about it. In the end, she decided against it. It would make her more comfortable, but how would she explain it? Nahla was open minded, but Kate wasn't sure how open minded. And then there was Jacek. What would he do if he found out what a gun could do? Kate didn't want to be the one to find out.

Kate was still eating her apple when someone knocked on her door. She made her way over and looked through the peephole, expecting that Josh was early. Instead, she saw Lanie.

Immediately Kate unlocked and opened the door. "Lanie, what are you doing here?"

"Don't I even get a 'hi', sweetie?"

"Sorry, Lanie. I'm just surprised. Did we have a date that I forgot?"

"Oh, no. Nothing like that. I just came to check on you."

"Check on me?"

"Yes. Are you going to invite me in?"

Kate moved out of the way, and her friend came inside.

"Nice boots," Lanie said.

"I like them." Kate smiled, then turned serious. "Why are you checking up on me?"

"Because I'm worried about you, girl. Esposito told me you took a week off work."

"He did?"

"Yes. Now spill."

"It's this thing with Castle." She led Lanie into the room and they both sat down.

"You're worried he won't wake up." Lanie was never one to pull punches.

"A little. And I'm trying to figure out how I feel about that. Most of the time, when I'm trying to deal with something, I like to throw myself into work. It provides the distraction I need."

"And this time?"

"It's not working."

"So you came home to do what? Mope?"

"No, that's not it at all." She really wished she could tell Lanie the truth.

"What is it then? Look at you. You're pale and exhausted."

"I just want to spend some time with him. Is that so wrong?"

Lanie eyed her then, and Kate saw a few things in the other woman's eyes that she didn't want to have to face. At least not now.

"I'm just afraid you're going to get hurt, sweetie. I've seen enough of that to last a lifetime."

"I don't want to get hurt either, but I think it's too late for that."

Lanie looked away. "I know it is."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment before Lanie continued, "Oh, Esposito wanted me to tell you that they cracked the Woon case."

"They did?" Kate asked. "Was it the brother?"

"Oh, yeah. It was the brother. Interviewing some of his acquaintances, they found out he's some screwed up piece of nutbar."

Kate raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Is there any other kind of nutbar?"

Lanie smiled and said, "As far as they can tell, the motive was jealousy."

"Did they get a confession?"

"Not exactly."

"Not exactly?"

"They haven't found him yet. He's been missing since right after he came to New York, when his parents IDed the body. No one knows where he is. There have been a few sightings, but nothing concrete."

"So, he's still on the loose."

"That's what I just said."

"Maybe I should go back to work." Kate's desire to catch a killer warred with her need to save Castle.

"They'll find him, Kate." Lanie reached out and put a hand on Kate's arm. "You can trust them. If staying home from work is what you have to do, you should do it."

She admitted to herself that Lanie was right. Ryan and Esposito were good cops, and they were capable of catching the killer on their own.

"Okay," she said.

Lanie stood up. "I really should go. I have a date with Brian tonight. I just had to make sure you are all right first."

"I'm all right."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure." Kate stood up as well.

"That's good enough for me, Sweetie." Lanie kissed her cheek then turned to go.

Kate waited until the door was finished closing before she curled up in her bed to sleep.

XXX

It was dark, and Kate had no idea where she was. Small drops of water spattered her face and made her wish she had worn her jacket. The sky was overcast; she couldn't see any moon or any stars. Even her hand was just a faint impression as she held it out in front of her.

Her eyes searched the darkness, trying to see something...anything.

A flicker of light caught her eye. She squinted and stared, just to make sure she hadn't imagined it.

The ground under her feet was hard packed dirt, so at least she knew she was standing on a road. The only problem was that the flicker of light led her off of it. What if she ended up chasing a firefly and then couldn't find her way back?

The rain was getting heavier, and she couldn't stand there all night. With no other logical choice, she walked down a small hill. It was covered with grass and soft from the rain.

Before long, she reached a tree line. She hesitated a moment until she heard voices.

"Is this rain ever going to stop?"

"Quit whining. You won't melt."

"Well, if you'd come help me with the tent, I wouldn't have to whine, would I?"

Kate followed the voices, and found a path through the trees. The flickering grew more substantial and she realized that it was from a small fire. She didn't know how it had survived in the rain.

The trees opened up into a small clearing. In the clearing, a man was bent over the fire, coaxing it into staying lit. Near him, a woman was stretching a sheet of fabric between two trees. As Kate expected, these two people were Nahla and Jacek.

"Do you need some help?" Kate asked Nahla.

The girl whirled and squeaked, but Jacek made no indication that he had even heard her.

"Kate!" Nahla exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

Kate waved towards the road. "That way. Where are we?...When are we?"

"It's been about two days," Nahla told her. Her blond hair was plastered to her head and face. "We crossed into the lands of the Kjioni just about an hour after you left, and we're still about three or four days from Rithisak's prison. So far, it's been pretty quiet." She glanced at Kate's feet. "I see you remembered your boots this time."

Kate was relieved that only two days had passed. In her relief, she almost missed Nahla's next comment. She processed it and answered, "Definitely better than arriving in my bare feet. Did you need some help with your tarp?"

"This bare spot under the trees is relatively dry and sheltered. I figured it would be a great place to set up a makeshift tent, but I can't seem to get it to stay."

"Well, let's see what we can do."

The two women worked together while Jacek laboured to keep the fire going and cook something over it at the same time.

"Shouldn't you have done this before dark?" Kate asked as they finally got the shelter ready.

"We wanted to make it to this resting place, but we got delayed, so we're late. I suppose we could have stopped earlier, but Jacek didn't remember there being anywhere suitable before this."

Kate glanced over at Jacek. He was still acting as if neither woman were there. "He's been here before?"

"He travels off the Old Ways a lot. That's why he's always well armed. The Old Ways can be dangerous, but out here it's a hundred times so. The people aren't really happy, and unhappy people do desperate things."

Kate had seen this enough times in her career to know that Nahla was right.

"We brought your bag," Nahla told her as they started bringing their things in out of the wet. Kate saw it there, with the pummel sticking out of the top. She knew Nahla could not have carried both packs, and she wondered if Jacek had carried it willingly or under duress.

"Dinner's ready," his rough voice cut across the small clearing.

"You hungry?" Nahla asked.

"Not really."

"You should still eat. What if we don't get a chance to eat in the morning?" Though they spoke quietly, Jacek evidently heard them.

Kate looked at Nahla. "Why wouldn't we..."

"It's better not to argue." Nahla shrugged. "Besides, Jacek's an unpredictably good cook."

"If you say so."

The food turned out to be some kind of meat. Rabbit, Kate would have guessed if asked. Nahla was right. It was surprisingly good.

They ate in their shelter, then the two cousins started rolling out their bedrolls.

"I wonder if a person can sleep in a dream," Kate said, following suit.

"This isn't a dream," Jacek growled.

Nahla ignored him and replied, "Your body is probably worn out from being constantly drawn into Richard Castle's magic. You'll sleep better here, despite it being on rough ground, than you have been at home lately. Trust me."

Kate discovered that Nahla was right about that too. She piled her boots in the corner and was asleep before she was completely in her bedroll.

She didn't dream.

XXX

Kate was awakened by birdsong. It had been a long time since she had woken to anything but the noisy sounds of a busy city. For a moment, she had no idea where she was. Was she in her hotel room? Was she in the hospital? Then, she realized there were two other bodies sleeping there beside her. She was lying on hard and bumpy ground, and there was a pommel of a sword almost directly over her head.

Her body was stiff, she noticed as she quietly slipped out of her bedroll. She supposed it was a side effect of all that walking and then sleeping on the ground.

She put on her boots and quietly left their small shelter. It was really early in the morning, and it hadn't been light for very long. The clearing was covered with dew and drying rain drops, and the weak morning sun sparkled as it shone through the trees. Kate was glad to see that it had stopped raining.

She stretched her tight muscles, breathing in the intriguing scent of a forest after the rain.

A slight sound off to her right made her tense up. She listened intently and heard it again. The sound was faint, and it could have been an animal, but Kate's cop senses had the hair itching at the base of her neck.

She turned around to wake Nahla.

Before she had the chance, five men came into the clearing. They were dirty, with long scraggly beards and even longer and scragglier hair. Their clothes were patched and as dirty as the rest of them. They looked angry, and their eyes had crazed, haunted looks.

Kate hadn't even made a sound, but Jacek was immediately out of the shelter and beside her. She could hear Nahla grumbling, "I'm coming. I'm coming...Where did I put my left boot?"

Jacek's face held a sneer as he drew his sword. Kate had to admit it was an impressive sight.

"Who are they?" Kate asked, wishing she had thought to bring something out to defend herself with.

"Bandits," Jacek almost spat out. "The land is crawling with them now."

"Give us your stuff, and you might live," one of the bandits, the tallest, said.

"Do we look like innocents?" Jacek asked him. "Get out of here, and we might let you live."

"One man, an unarmed girl, and a disembodied voice?"

The five of them each drew weapons. Two of them had long, curved knives, and the other three had swords.

"Not so disembodied," Nahla said, finally coming out. Her sword was unsheathed in one hand, and she handed Kate her own sword and sheath.

"Thanks."

Kate shook the sword loose and hoped she could figure out how to use it. Her mind flashed to an image of her with a bleeding stump where her hand used to be.

"You can't say I didn't warn you," the bandit said.

"Likewise," Jacek replied.

"If you guys are done with your great show of testosterone..." Kate prodded.

The bandit sneered at her and lunged at Jacek. Their blades met with a ringing sound that filled the clearing. The other four were eyeing up both her and Nahla, and she didn't like what she saw in their faces.

Nahla completely surprised one of them by gracefully attacking. One of his companions raced to his aid, but the other two attacked Kate.

Her fencing lessons came back to her as a sword met hers. She blocked twice, losing sight of the guy with the knife.

"Look out," Jacek came from nowhere and slapped away the knife that was about to stab her.

She couldn't pay too much attention because her opponent kept raining blows on her. She managed to block them, but some were harder than others.

It dawned on her for the first time that if Castle could die here, so could she. What would her friends think if her body was found in the same state as Castle's? If she died, who would save Castle? Both good questions, but she pushed them out of her head to ponder later.

Pain in her right thigh actually helped her to focus.

She was on the defensive and tried to figure out how to take the offensive. She knew if she could just get his blade from him, she could probably beat him in hand to hand combat.

Her first concern was getting out of the rut they were in. Her opponent wasn't that skilled, but he was certainly more skilled than she was, and sooner or later, she was going to make a mistake.

She tuned out the sounds of Nahla's and Jacek's fights around her.

Her mind quickly went through every dirty trick she had learned in her years as a police officer. She had fought crazed drug users, desperate gang members, and evil murderers, and she was still alive to tell about it. A man with a sword was nothing more than a guy with a big knife.

When her opportunity came, Kate was watching for it. He lunged to the right. She blocked him with difficulty. He overbalanced slightly, and Kate swept out with her foot.

The man hadn't been expecting this, and she knocked him from his feet. Before he could get up, she whacked his wrist with the side of her blade. His numb fingers dropped his own blade, and Kate was happy to once more be in familiar territory.

Her fingers released the sword, and she dropped heavily onto the bandit. He lashed out at her with his fist, but she caught it with one hand and punched him in the face with her other. She felt his lip split under the blow, and his teeth cut one of her knuckles. She ignored the pain and hit him again.

He broke free of her grip and tried to knock her sideways. She had fought stronger people than him, and she was able to keep him from bucking her off.

He landed a punch on her jaw, and it hurt like hell. She tasted blood as her tooth went into her lip. She struggled to catch his hands to prevent another shot.

When she succeeded, he spit in her face. It dripped down her forehead, leaving a tickling, slimy trail.

He wiggled his body, putting her off balance enough to free one of his hands. It stung as his knuckles smashed into her cheekbone. She was off balance enough that he was able to roll her over so that he was on top. When she realized what he was doing, Kate put her own strength behind the roll. The bandit came up, but he kept going. Kate wrapped her legs around him, and they continued to roll until his head hit the ground. She fought herself into a sitting position, and hit him twice before he could recover. Blood came from his nose and mingled with the blood from his lip. After the second blow, his eyes looked slightly unfocused. Encouraged, Kate gave him a blow that rattled her own bones. The man immediately went limp beneath her.

With a grunt of effort, she staggered to her feet and wiped his blood off of her hands onto her clothes.

Nearby, two more of their attackers were lying on the ground, their blood staining the earth. A glance told Kate that they were dead.

Nahla was fighting one of the last two men, her face set in concentration. Jacek was fighting the other, his moves fluid and full of grace. Kate could tell he was even better than he had boasted.

Kate was wondering if she should go over and help Nahla when the girl knocked the sword out of the man's hand. While he was still surprised, Nahla stepped forward and gave him a knee to the groin. He groaned and collapsed.

The girl ceased her attack as he curled up in a ball.

"Kill him," Jacek said, coming over, his sword dripping blood.

Nahla paled. "No."

"Then I'll do it."

"Can't we just tie them up and leave them here?" Kate asked. "You don't expect us to kill them in cold blood."

"They'd kill us if they had the chance."

Nahla turned slightly green. "Can we find another way, Jacek?"

He gave her a disgusted look. "Fine. We'll tie them up and leave them here, but if they come behind us and murder us, it's on your head."

He cut one of the dead men's shirts into strips and started to tie up the two still alive. While he did that, Kate and Nahla packed up the rest of their things.

"I've never seen that much blood and death," Nahla confided quietly to Kate.

"I have," Kate said grimly.

Nahla let out a sudden cry. "Kate, you're bleeding."

As soon as she said this, Kate felt a return of the pain in her leg. Her lip also throbbed, and she knew that before long she'd have a fat lip.

"Sit down and let me look at your leg."

Kate complied by dropping to the ground and ripping off what was left of the pant leg. She was relieved to see the cut wasn't very serious despite how much it stung. Nahla took some water from her pack and washed off the blood. Then, she put on some soothing ointment.

"Not too bad. You were lucky." She unwittingly echoed Kate's thoughts.

"Well," Kate told the girl, "I survived my first sword fight. Castle would love it."

"He would love that you were in danger?"

"No, he'd just love the image of me fighting with a sword. In our world, he writes stories about someone based on me."

"You two have a very odd relationship."

"You could say that."

XXX

Castle was daydreaming about home when his spooky captor made his next appearance. It was daylight this time, though little enough light filtered through the tiny window.

Castle sat up quickly, his body stiff from another night in the dampness. He could have really used a bath. It crossed his mind to mention this, but decided it was probably better if he didn't.

"Hello, Mr. Castle," the man said coldly, his eyes reflecting the light like pieces of glass—or ice.

Rick didn't answer. He waited for the man to continue.

"Your time with me will soon be at an end. Our window is approaching." Rick blinked at him in incomprehension. "Your magic is divided. It's a pity. It would be so much stronger if it were not. Still, there is a chance that I will find the reason and eliminate it before then. Either way, enjoy your stay."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." He should have kept the comment to himself. He knew he should have. The problem was, he had always had trouble keeping his mouth shut.

"I don't know if you are lying or if you are truly an innocent. Either way, it soon will not matter."

Rick really didn't like the sound of that. Still, he asked, "Why not?"

"Because, Mr. Castle, you'll be dead."

XXX

They traveled for two days, on foot and with frequent rests, and never saw more than a couple of people and lots and lots of trees. It was very tiring and even more boring.

Kate still hadn't awakened. Her feet ached, her back ached, and she often felt as if she were a hundred years old. At least her fat lip had gone down, though a faint bruise had appeared on her cheek, and her leg was starting to heal. She was getting to the point where she would have given anything for a shower—anything but her chance to save Castle.

Near the end of the second day, they started seeing more people on the road. When Kate commented on this, Jacek told her that they were nearing a town. Visions of water and beds danced through Kate's head.

"Will we be stopping?" she asked.

"We need supplies."

"Will we be staying over night?" Nahla asked the question Kate really wanted to know the answer to.

"If it's safe."

If her smile was any indication, Nahla was as happy with the thought as Kate.

The closer they got to the town, the busier the road became. It also branched off at several points. The people they passed were mostly quiet with eyes that shifted suspiciously.

By the time they reached the town limits, Kate was thinking it might be better not to stay in the town.

It was an old town, bigger than Nahla's home, with older buildings. Most of the ones they passed were tired and run down. The people were sullen and most of them had their eyes to the dirt.

As they went further into the town, the buildings got sturdier and cleaner. The people grew more bright and cheerful. On some of the corners, there were magicians entertaining well dressed children and their parents. Kate hoped this would be the part of town they would be sleeping in.

"Where are we?" Nahla asked as they walked down streets they shared with horses, donkeys, carts, people, goats, and dogs.

"Simoen. It's a town about two days from Rithisak's prison..."

"Jacek, I've been meaning to ask you," Kate said, "why is it called The Prison of Darkness?"

"Because when people go in, they are tortured and then they die. The few that do come out are never whole again."

Kate shivered and shut out thoughts of Castle being tortured. She reassured herself with the image of him she had seen in the stone. Rithisak wanted her partner alive and healthy to perform the ceremony. She had to hold on to that belief. It was the only one she had left.

They came to an inn that was fancier than Kalahn's but felt somehow colder. It was white with painted yellow shutters. The sign above it had a shapely girl in a white dress that was ripped and tattered. Tears dripped down her face. The words "The Weeping Virgin" ran along the bottom.

"Don't let the looks of this place fool you," Jacek growled under his breath. "The rooms in front are for the rich. We can't afford them. Our rooms will be in the back."

"And?" Nahla prodded.

"And we'll be rubbing elbows with gamblers, murderers, and thieves, but this is the only inn in town...unless we want to sleep in Garbage Town."

"Garbage Town?"

"A charming area like the one on the outskirts of town, only about a hundred times worse. Hold on to your purse and keep your mouths shut. You'll be fine."

Jacek didn't go into the front of the building. Instead, he walked around the side and towards the back. Kate found herself in a narrow alley, between the inn and the dress shop beside it. The alley was dark. Its dirt was worn by years of stomping feet. Kate's hand nervously went for the gun her mind told her she wasn't wearing.

"Maybe we shouldn't stay here, Jacek," Nahla said, moving closer to her cousin. In the first bit of magic Kate had ever seen her do, the girl wiggled her fingers and a tiny ball of light appeared above them.

"You'll be fine," Jacek repeated.

Kate stared at the ball of light, wondering if it were real. Her rational mind tried to dismiss it, but the other side of her, the one that had accepted all of this, shrugged it off. Either it was real or it wasn't. It wasn't important.

The alley was long and ended like many more mundane alleys, in two giant trash bins filled with garbage and flies. Kate wrinkled her nose at the smell.

There was also a large fence blocking the unseemly sight of the back door from the rest of the town. It was about eight feet high.

Jacek ignored the stench and the dirt and went in the back door. This side of the inn was also painted white, but it had none of the snobbishness it displayed on the street.

Kate shared a wary look with Nahla before the two of them followed Jacek inside.

It wasn't as bad as Kate had feared. It was crowded and smelled like alcohol and sweaty bodies, but it was mostly clean.

Tables of rowdy eaters and drinkers, mostly men, filled the room. Servers of all ages, mostly girls and women from about ten to thirty, weaved in among the tables filling orders and good naturedly pushing overly friendly hands away. Several of them had crude pendants hung on small chains around their necks. These girls were all more raggedy than the others, and they had sad eyes.

Jacek made his way gracefully through the throng. Kate and Nahla had a clear path in his wake. They went across the room to an enormous wooden bar. It was scarred and stained, and in one place it even looked as if someone had taken a knife to it. Behind the bar stood a bartender with fishy eyes and a hideous handlebar mustache.

"Hello, Jacek," he said with a smile that never went further than his stiff lips.

"Tee." He nodded his head. "We need a room for the night."

Tee's eyes flicked to Kate and Nahla. "One room?"

"Yes."

Kate could see all the evil things going on in the man's head through his eyes, but he just nodded. "All right. Same deal as last time. Money up front."

"Of course. I want three meals with that. The girls will eat now. I'll be in later."

"Fine, but that's extra."

"I remember."

Jacek took out some coins and slid them across the bar. The bartender snatched them up and put them in his apron. Then, he slid a key across to Jacek.

There were a couple of empty tables among the filled ones. They went over to one, and Kate and Nahla sat down.

"I'll be back," Jacek said. "Eat. Don't get in any trouble."

Kate was used to being the one in charge, and his tone rankled. She grit her teeth to keep them closed and watched him walk away.

"Your cousin could do with some lessons in charm," she said lowly as soon as the man was out of earshot.

Nahla waved her hand, reminding Kate of the light she had created and then extinguished at the end of the alley. "Oh, don't mind him. He can't help being an ass."

They hadn't been waiting very long when a girl in her teens, one of those with the strange necklace, came by with two bowls of soup and some bread. To Kate's surprise it smelled really, really good.

The server put down the meals without once looking into either Kate's or Nahla's faces. When Kate thanked her, she just blushed and nodded her head, mouse brown hair falling into her eyes.

As Kate watched her walk away, she asked, "Do you know what that pendant means?"

Nahla's expression turned to one of distaste. "I'd heard of it happening, but I've never seen it."

"Nahla?"

"People wear it whose parents have sold them into indentured servitude for life."

Kate's spoon had been moving from the bowl to her mouth. She started, knocking all the liquid back into the bowl. "Are you talking about slavery?"

"Near enough. The Old Ways abolished this practice long ago."

"It looks as if these guys didn't get the memo."

"I don't know what that means, but I do know that the practice is disgusting. If you don't have enough family, hire your help like an honest person, don't buy them like property."

"Maybe there's something you can do," Kate said.

"I don't know what."

Kate just shook her head and took a bite of her stew. She wished she could tell Nahla what to do, but she didn't have an answer.

The stew was really good. It tasted as if they were serving the same food on both sides of The Weeping Virgin. Kate had thought she wouldn't be able to eat after her discovery that slavery was alive and well in this world, but her stomach had other ideas. Nahla ate too, but she had a dark scowl on her face. It was quite a contrast to her normal open and cheerful expression.

The two of them were silent for a few minutes while they ate, but Kate had learned that Nahla couldn't be silent for long.

"Kate?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any idea what you're going to do when we get to The Prison of Darkness?"

"Do you?" she countered.

"I just wanted to protect you and Jacek, in case there were any magical problems. I'm not very good yet, but I'm better than nothing. I've been thinking, though. Now, I think I'd like to help save your Richard Castle."

"I'm worried that Jacek is as dangerous to him as Rithisak."

Nahla looked down at her bowl.

"I know he's supposed to kill him if he can't save him," Kate added. "I just don't know how committed he is to the saving him part."

"I can't speak for Jacek, but I'll do my best to help you get him out of there alive. If he leaves the prison, the spell on him should be broken. You should both wake up and disappear."

"I appreciate that. I hope Jacek feels the same."

A disturbance two tables over caught Kate's attention and turned it away from thoughts of rescuing Castle. She looked over to see a table of four very drunk men. Three of them were talking and laughing, but the fourth looked very angry. He was a big man, about Castle's height and about a hundred pounds heavier. It was his bellow that Kate had heard. The rest of the room seemed to ignore it.

In front of him, a child was cringing. She looked to Kate to be about twelve. Her small body was too thin, and her black hair was cropped short. A pendant hung around her neck.

"Can't you look where you're pouring the wine, you stupid girl?" There was a red stain spreading over his chest like blood.

"I'm sorry," the girl whispered.

"Sorry, are you? I'll make you sorry."

The sound of his hand connecting with the girl's face echoed through Kate's head as the girl fell back against the next table with a wounded cry. The man's friends laughed and spurred him on. He raised his hand again.

Kate was moving before she even had time to think. Anger was bubbling inside her, and she let it propel her forward. She reached the man just as his closed fist was about to fall. She caught his wrist, and almost the whole room went silent.

Very quietly and very calmly, Kate said, "I don't think you want to do that."

The poor servant girl was looking up from the floor, her eyes wide and terrified. A bruise was already forming on her cheek.

The man whirled on Kate, and she ducked. He didn't even come close to hitting her with his drunken aim. Kate knew she was in trouble when his three friends stood up. She heard their chairs scraping the floor as they did so.

She didn't dare to turn around to look at them. That would give the gorilla in front of her an opening. As she was watching him, she noticed the small serving girl scuttle away under the tables.

"Don't touch her!" She heard Nahla's voice behind her. It shook a little.

"What is this, ladies' night?" one of the men slurred.

Kate really wanted to move so that she could see all four men at once. She got her chance when the big man swung at her again. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her, throwing him off balance. As he fell to the floor, she took a quick glance around her and saw nothing but silent patrons and hostile eyes. She and Nahla were in even more trouble than she had thought.

Still, Kate wasn't one to do things half way. She readied herself for the next attack. It came from two men at once, as the other one grabbed a squirming Nahla.

Kate elbowed one of the men reaching for her and jumped out of the way. The two of them stumbled drunkenly together, and Kate decided they'd be all right as long as the rest of the patrons didn't jump into the fray.

She went forward to help Nahla when somebody grabbed her from behind. She kicked backwards, catching a kneecap. The person behind her grunted in pain and let go.

Nahla had somehow managed to wiggle free of her captor, who was blowing on his hands as if they were burned.

The big man Kate had knocked to the floor was trying to rise. When one of his companions lunged at her again, she moved out of the way and he tripped, falling on top of his friend.

The other one swung at her, and she blocked him and swung back. Her half healed knuckle split again as her fist connected with his face.

The mob had been pretty quiet up until then, but now Kate could hear them grumbling.

She blocked her opponent again as he aimed another punch at her. Then, she lashed out and got him in the stomach. When he bent over from the sudden lack of air, she punched him in the face again.

As he fell, Kate heard more chairs scrape back as people got up around the room. The two on the floor were trying to get to their feet, and the man who had held Nahla had recovered and was reaching for the girl again.

Kate readied herself for another attack as Nahla nimbly avoided capture.

More men started circling them, but Kate couldn't watch them because when one of the men on the floor made it to his feet, he viciously lashed out for her nose. She was able to move her head in time to take the impact on her cheek instead. Still, she stumbled back and into someone's waiting arms.

A sharp jab of her elbow backwards freed her, and she saw Nahla bash the heads of the two men from the original four together. This was enough to knock them down, and this time they didn't get back up.

The girl rushed to Kate, and they stood there back to back, facing the room full of angry men.

"What now?" Nahla asked.

"We fight our way out. Know any magic that might help?"

Nahla didn't answer, but she mumbled under her breath. Two men rushed at her, but a small arc of light shot from the blond's hands. One of the men dropped like a stone.

"Nahla?"

"Sleep spell," she said.

Kate didn't reply because she was being attacked. She kicked out at the first person to reach her. She got his knee and his leg collapsed. She blocked the blow from another and managed to get him to trip over the first man.

There was a loud bellow from the doorway, and the din quieted down for an instant. Kate glanced over and saw an infuriated Jacek.

"Good goddess, woman, is this how you stay out of trouble?" he yelled at her.

He was immediately attacked by someone near the door. His fists began to fly.

"Make your way towards Jacek," Kate said to Nahla.

Three large men, the largest men Kate had ever seen, came through the door leading towards the fancier section of the inn. They started banging heads to restore order, and the mob that had been fighting Kate and Nahla turned on them instead.

Seeing attention was diverted, at least for now, Kate said to Nahla, "Let's get out of here."

The two weaved their way through the angry drunks, who were getting confused enough that they were starting to fight each other. Kate had to throw or avoid the occasional kick or punch, but, for the most part, they were forgotten.

When they reached Jacek, he was still heavily into the fray. He was fighting three men and stubbornly holding his own.

Kate grabbed one of the men and forcibly threw him against a nearby table. Nahla shot another one with the same mumbled sleeping spell.

"Come on, Jacek. Let's get out of here while they are still distracted." Kate had to almost yell to be heard.

Jacek nodded and punched his opponent with enough force to knock him flat. The three of them slipped out the door.

"Over the fence," Jacek said. "They'll think we went down the alley."

He propelled Nahla ahead of him and boosted her onto the nearest large trash bin. The girl's face shone white in the moonlight.

"Go," he said.

She reached up and grabbed the top of the fence to pull herself over.

Jacek turned to look at Kate. "Kate, you're next..."

XXX

Kate's eyes popped open. She felt disoriented and lost. Where was she? What was going on?

She heard a knock and it brought her to a groggy sitting position. A nearby clock told her it was eight-oh-five.

"Kate?"

She realized that she was in her hotel room. Her heart was pounding. Her cheek throbbed. She felt like death warmed over.

Another knock and another, "Kate?"

It was Josh. Was she supposed to meet Josh? Her head was so fuzzy.

"Just a minute," she called, her voice scratchy. "I was sleeping."

She got out of bed and winced as her booted feet hit the floor. They hurt.

She slid her feet out of the boots and made her way to the door. Each step brought her further away from the other world.

Kate got half way there and realized she had a heavy weight on her hip. Over the past two days, she had become so used to it that she had forgotten it was there. Her eyes traveled down to the hilt of the small sword. She wondered how she had managed to get out of bed without tangling her legs in it. Not that it mattered. What mattered were the questions Josh would ask if he saw her wearing it.

She went back to the bed and unbuckled the sheath from around her waist. Quickly, she took it and shoved it under the bed, away from prying eyes.

By the time she opened the door, she was feeling almost human again.

"Kate, are you okay? What happened?" Josh asked when she opened the door.

She realized suddenly what she must look like to him. She hadn't showered in two days. Her hair and body were gritty from the dirt of the road. Her clothes, old fashioned ones with no zippers or buttons, were dirty and bloody from the fight. Her knuckles were torn and bleeding, and her face throbbed from a well aimed punch. She probably looked as bad as she felt.

"I had a sparring match earlier," she explained, not exactly a lie, "and I was so tired, I just crashed afterwards. I look awful, don't I?"

He looked her over with a trained eye. "No harm done, I guess, but you should be more careful. And you should wash and disinfect that hand. Weren't your hands wrapped up?"

Kate ignored this question and allowed him to lead her into the bathroom. He gently bathed her hand and, after rooting around in her medicine cabinet, disinfected it and smeared it with Polysporin.

"Why would you put your body through this when you weren't feeling well?" he asked sternly as he finished.

She shrugged. "I thought it was stress, so I was trying to work it out."

He put a gentle hand to her forehead. "You don't feel warm. I don't think you have a fever. Don't forget to drink lots of fluids."

"I will. Thanks, Mom." She grinned at him.

He chuckled and led her back into the main room. His hand was warm in hers.

Josh really was a nice guy. She was reminded why she liked him. He was both gentle and daring, and he really cared about her.

"I want you to take care of yourself," he said. He turned and gently brushed her cheek with his other thumb. "It really looks as if someone tried to beat the crap out of you."

"That's essentially what sparring is."

He just shook his head.

Kate sat and asked, "Did you want me to order something up?"

"No, I can't stay long. When you canceled, I took another shift at the hospital. I just wanted to be sure you were all right."

"I think I'm going to just get something to eat and go back to bed."

"That's a good idea...By the way, can I ask you where you got these unusual pajamas?"

Kate looked down at her grubby shirt, vest, and trousers, all held together with fabric ties. "They were a gift."

"I like them. Very fifteenth century."

"I thought more like Middle Earth Hobbit."

"I hope you didn't say that to the one who gave them to you."

"She wouldn't have understood the reference anyway."

Josh put a hand under her chin so he could look into her face. "Do you need me to bring you anything?"

"No, I'll be okay."

"Call me if you want anything. The nurses will page me."

"Okay."

He bent down and kissed her gently. His lips were soft and tasted of coffee.

Kate took comfort from the kiss and she reached up to hug him. He brought her closer as the kiss ended and she lay her cheek on his shoulder.

"You're really worried about Castle, aren't you?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"I just want him to wake up," she admitted.

"I'm here for you, Kate."

"I know."

She let him go with reluctance and he kissed her forehead. Kate flashed him a smile of thanks.

"I'll call you tomorrow and we'll reschedule, okay?"

"Okay."

He went out, closing the door behind him. Kate just sat there, trying not to think about the fact that her feelings for Josh were more like friendship than passion. She also tried not to think about the fact that she had left Jacek and Nahla running away from an angry mob.

The only thing left to think about was Castle, and so she decided to call Martha and check on him.

First, though, she needed a shower.

XXX

Michael Woon was angry. He was so angry that he felt as if the top would blow right off of his head.

How dare she?

Those words ran around and around in his mind. She was his. How dare she?

He had been watching her. He always watched her now. He knew that the police were looking for him, but it didn't bother him. He knew how not to be found.

He saw her sleeping. She had looked exhausted when she came into the hotel room. She went in to get a shower and he mourned the fact that the bathroom had no windows.

Her friend had come, the dark woman with the kind smile. Michael thought he could like that woman. She wouldn't be the type to laugh at a man for failure. He might have been tempted to love her if Detective Beckett hadn't already stolen his heart.

After the detective's friend left, he saw her fling herself down, boots and all, and almost immediately tumble into sleep. He liked to watch her sleep. Her face relaxed, and the hard edges left her. She looked innocent and young in sleep.

It was after her nap, when she woke up suddenly looking different somehow, that the trouble started. Who was that man? Why was he touching Michael's Kate? Why did he kiss her and hold her? Why did she let him?

Michael had watched the events unfold in stunned silence. She was his. She was HIS.

The pain of her betrayal was like a knife thrust to his gut. How could she do this to him?

But Michael was not going to let it end like this. She would not betray him again.

If he couldn't have her, no one could.

XXX

Kate felt almost cheerful as she found herself standing in the ruin of a house. It was basically a shell with no roof and empty windows with the sun pouring in.

A shower, a lovely talk with Martha, and a sleeping pill had done wonders for her. The food she had eaten in the inn before the brawl was still in her stomach, and her hair and teeth were both properly brushed.

It was funny how just being clean could change your attitude. She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans this time and some sneakers to give her feet a rest from Nahla's boots. Her face still felt tender, but most of the swelling had gone down, and the Polysporin had taken the sting from her knuckles.

The first thing she noticed was the sunshine. The second was the broken and discarded things lying across the floor. The table was upset, and there was a splash of something that could have been blood. The stain was old and faded.

Kate knelt to get a better look but still couldn't be sure. From her new vantage point, she could see something pinned down by the edge of the table. Looking closer, she saw it was a sad eyed doll with tattered clothes and a missing arm.

In fact, everything about the small home was sad. Kate wondered what happened to the people who had lived there.

She walked quietly across to the door, taking care not to disturb anything. She felt the hushed sense of respect she usually only felt at funerals.

The door was crookedly hanging in its frame, barely connected and waiting to fall. Kate carefully moved it, making a gap just big enough for her to slip through.

Outside, it was early morning. The sun illuminated the ruins, washing them with light.

She was standing in what used to be a village. It hadn't been a very large one. She counted about twenty-one houses. There were livestock pens and barns and sheds. All of them were in the same state of disrepair as the house she had just left.

Despite the sunshine, the place gave off a feeling of deep sorrow, and the houses looked as if they were bowed down with grief. There were missing and collapsed walls and roofs and doors. Paint peeled. Fences leaned. Neglect had eaten away at everything.

Where was she?

Kate was reluctant to look around the graveyard she found herself in, but she needed information. If the ring on her hand was still working, Nahla should be nearby.

A sudden, terrifying feeling gripped her. What if years had gone by this time? What if Nahla had come to this village, lived, and died? What if Castle was already dead?

Kate gritted her teeth and pushed down panic. Letting fear take over would not help anything. She would just have to search the village for her friend. If Nahla wasn't there, then she'd find a way to Rithisak on her own. She realized that Castle's magic was still working. He had to be alive to dream her here.

That last thought calmed her. Feeling a little better, she walked to the next house and peered in a window. One of the walls had fallen in and all Kate could see was rubble.

She walked to the next and saw the same kind of mess she had seen at first. Belongings were flung across the floor. Things were both broken and discarded. Kate was starting to get the feeling that the place hadn't been deserted voluntarily. She wondered what had happened here.

She slowly and methodically checked the village, her cheerful mood turning to one of sadness. The old faded stains were frequent, and Kate became more and more sure that they were blood.

She stopped to pick up something in the overgrown grass of a yard when a noise caught her attention. Up until then, everything had been eerily silent. The quiet creaking noise stood out starkly against the hushed background. It could have been a sound naturally made by the old village, but Kate didn't think it was. The back of her neck tingled in warning.

She stopped in mid bend and slowly rose. Her senses were on alert as she turned, and she remembered suddenly that her sword was under her bed at home, a long, long way away. Her knives had been left in her pack, which was in some town that could have been on the moon for all of Kate's knowledge of the geography of this place.

Once on her feet, she turned quickly, tensed for an attack. What she saw had her breath rushing out of her lungs in relief.

There was a small rundown barn, whose roof was sagging but whose door was still sturdy. The doorway was open and leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed was Jacek.

"I've been looking for you," she called quietly, disturbing the solemnity of the place.

"We didn't have to look for you. You were making more noise than a wood troll."

Kate didn't know what a wood troll was, but she assumed it was noisy.

"Leave her alone. This place is deserted. Who would have heard besides us? A bird?"

Nahla squeezed past her cousin to come out into the sunshine. She was yawning, and her clothes were slightly rumpled.

Kate ignored Jacek and spoke to her friend. "How long have I been gone?"

"Our adventure at the inn was the night before last."

"The night before last? How close are we now?"

"We should get there today."

"In about three or four hours," Jacek corrected.

That was close. By the end of the day, she could have Castle with her again, safe and in one piece. Or they could both be dead.

Turning her mind from darker thoughts, she said, "I'm sorry I left you fleeing that mob on your own."

Nahla grinned. "That was exciting, wasn't it?"

"You could call it that. I'm glad you got away okay."

"Jacek's good at that kind of thing. You still look a little worse for wear."

"The fight was only three or four hours ago for me."

"You're clean, though. I'd give anything for a good, long bath. I soaked in a stream this morning, but it's not the same. And I left my clean clothes behind in the fight."

"I left my stuff too."

"You should never lose sight of your pack," Jacek said sternly.

Kate rolled her eyes at him, making Nahla laugh.

"So, where are we?" Kate asked. "What happened?"

"Rithisak," Jacek growled.

"He did this?"

"Jacek says that when he took over the abandoned keep, he got rid of all the villagers. He killed them, sold them, tortured them, kept them as servants. He destroyed everything."

"It's horrible."

"It's like the houses are crying."

"Don't let your imagination run away with you," Jacek told her. "Terrible things happen to people. That's just the way it is. We should get going."

He shut the door behind him, which Kate thought was a curious and oddly polite thing to do considering all the devastation around them.

As they started out of the village, Nahla asked Kate, "What happened to your sword? Did it get left behind in the brawl?"

"Don't ask."

"So, you're planning to go into the Prison of Darkness unarmed are you?" This was Jacek.

"She won't be unarmed," Nahla said, unbuckling her sword belt. "Here, Kate."

Nahla was much better with the blade than Kate herself. "Then you'll be defenseless."

"Take it. I've got a couple of spells I can use. Plus, I have a knife in my boot."

Kate took the blade with reluctance, hoping she hadn't just signed her friend's death warrant.

The sun continued to shine and, as they moved further and further away from the village, it was harder to believe anything bad could happen.

Jacek remained cranky and distant, but Nahla told of their adventures getting away from the mob. Kate only half listened as she concentrated on putting one foot after the other and not thinking about what was ahead.

They saw the prison long before they reached it. It was a tall, dark, menacing, and imposing structure that reminded Kate of spooky movie castles.

They had not seen one person since leaving the ruined village.

"I take it people don't usually get out this way," Kate said conversationally to Nahla.

"Rithisak doesn't like to have people too close...unless they are useful to him," Jacek answered her.

"You have to be careful, Kate." This was Nahla. "Remember, Rithisak wants you too. He can do the ritual without you, but it will be stronger with you."

"I remember. If we're lucky, he won't even see me. Do we know how we're getting inside?"

"That's my department. I've had access to all that information because Mother is training me to be the village Mystic after her."

"You know a side way in?"

"Yes, and a little of the layout."

"How are we going to find him?"

"I honestly don't know. We'll have to wing it."

"I hate winging it," Jacek told her.

"So do I," Kate admitted.

"Well, we do have some other inside information," Nahla continued. "We know there are one hundred and fifty servants, some in indentured servitude but most hired on. We know where his ritual chamber is and his personal rooms."

"Maybe we'll be able to kill the bastard in his sleep," Jacek commented to this.

"I don't think we'll be that lucky," Kate said.

"Yeah, me neither."

XXX

Rick was jarred awake by the sound of his door banging open. He fought to clear his head as his captor came in. This time, the man in the robe wasn't alone. There were two men with him, as alike as peas in a pod. They were light haired and their eyes were focused on the floor. Servants, apparently.

"Well, Richard Castle," the robed man said, "the day has come. Your Shadow Walker powers will become my Shadow Walker powers."

Rick sat up, saying, "I thought you couldn't do it because the power was divided or something."

"I said I wouldn't be as powerful if the power was divided. Unfortunately, I now do not have a choice. There is only a three day window about every four years, and I don't want to have to wait that long. I'm no closer to figuring out the mystery, and so I'm done trying." Rick opened his mouth to speak but was stopped when the other man raised his hand. "Go with my bookends, Mr. Castle. They will scrub and comb and primp you for the ritual. Don't try to escape. I will find you. There's nothing that says you have to be whole for it. You just have to be alive."

For once, Rick had no smart comeback or comment. He had been there long enough that the thought of being clean almost made it worth dying for. He got to his feet and the servants moved to one on each side of him.

"Don't bring him to the chamber until he is presentable," his captor said before leaving him alone with the twins to worry about what would happen next.

XXX

They were still about what Jacek estimated was an hour away from the Prison of Darkness when Kate noticed that Nahla was looking for something.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"I'm looking for the entrance."

"The entrance?"

"Yeah. The entrance to the prison."

"It's here?"

"The back entrance that no one knows about is. Lill was pretty sure even Rithisak didn't know about it."

"Then how did he find out about it?"

"He stumbled on it when exploring a part of the keep shut off for years."

"Is it safe?"

"He went through it a few times. I guess it's neglected but well made."

Kate grimaced. Neglected probably meant lots of spiders. She didn't really care for spiders. She wouldn't do a Castle girly scream at the sight of one, but they made her flesh creep a little. It was probably all those legs.

"So, what are you looking for? Jacek and I can help."

"Well, Lill described a rock that was near the entrance. It's sort of shaped like a dog...if you squint funny. It's about knee high and hidden by long grass..." which explained why she detoured to peer at every grass clump. "From there, you walk about fifty steps to the south. The entrance is made to look like forest debris. It was a rotted wooden door when he found it, hidden under years and years and years...maybe even a hundred...of growth. Lill replaced the door and artificially, with magic, made it look like it did before. Now, it's locked and you have to find a switch to open it."

"Did he say in which way it looked like a dog?"

Nahla shook her head. "Not when I was there, anyway."

Jacek had started looking even before the women stopped talking. He was going around, moving long grass with his foot.

"Did he say how close to the prison this dog rock was?" Kate asked.

"About an hour or forty-five minutes, depending on your strides. I've been looking ever since Jacek said we were around two hours away. I didn't want to miss it."

"With three of us looking, we won't miss it...unless...Are you sure we're on the right side of the prison?"

"He said coming from the east, following a track that had once been a road. He said it was off to the side, a bit on the left." She finally saw what Jacek was doing. "Jacek, you're looking on the wrong side."

Jacke gave her a dirty look but didn't comment. He did, however, cross to the other side of the track.

Their progress was a lot slower after that. They searched every clump of grass from the side of the path to ten feet away. Kate was just starting to get a sinking feeling that they'd missed it when her friend said a pained, "Ow!"

Kate looked up to see Nahla hopping around, holding her knee.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said with a groan. "I just forgot to look where I was going and ran into this...Kate, Jacek, does this look like a dog to you?"

Kate left the place she was looking to hurry over to Nahla. She was fast but Jacek beat her there.

The rock was round, but it had some strange lumps and bumps. That one could be a nose, and she supposed that one could be an ear.

"One lying down, I guess," Kate admitted after a minute's scrutiny. "Jacek?"

"If a five year old drew it."

"That's good enough for me!" Nahla said.

She looked at the sun and looked at the path, then pointed in a direction and looked questioningly at Jacek. When he nodded, she started off, counting quietly to herself.

Kate and Jacek shared a look and fell in behind her. When she was done counting, they fanned out, scuffing the dirt and grass with their feet, searching for the hidden wooden entrance.

It was Kate who found it. The dirt and stones felt strangely different when she scuffed her feet across them, so she bent down for a closer look. She rubbed at the debris with her hand. It moved to show dull wood about a half an inch underneath.

"It's here," she called to the others.

Nahla came over and started waving her hands in a strange pattern over the place Kate stood. After a few passes, she started saying words in a language Kate didn't know.

When she stopped, she looked down at the ground expectantly. Nothing happened. Nahla frowned and avoided looking at Jacek. She looked at Kate instead.

"Try again," Kate suggested, remembering Nahla was only a novice.

"Okay."

This time, Nahla closed her eyes and her brow drew together in deep concentration. She did the hand patterns more slowly and pronounced each word carefully.

Kate was watching the ground and almost jumped when the dirt beneath her feet began to move.

"What's happening?" she said as the dirt and grass started creeping away from her feet.

"The door is showing itself. Don't be frightened."

That was easy for Nahla to say. Watching dirt move by itself might be normal for her, but Kate hadn't believed in anything she couldn't see or touch until...how many days ago? Kate was distracted from the squirming earth by a strange thought. How many days had passed for her since Castle got shot? For Martha, Alexis, Ryan, and Esposito, it had been less than a week For Nahla and Jacek, it had been somewhere around a month. For Kate, it was so much more complicated.

"Kate? Kate, are you okay?" Nahla's voice broke Kate out of her thoughts.

"Yeah," she said, shrugging away panicky feelings. "Are we ready?"

The door had completely revealed itself.

"The spell was supposed to unlock it too, so we should be able to get in," Nahla told her.

It was a simple wooden door with some kind of metal hinges. It had a sturdy handle, also metal. Jacek was already bending down to pull it. The door came open easily for him, but Kate wasn't sure if it was the door itself or his strength. The open door revealed stairs leading down that tapered off into darkness.

"It's awful dark down there," Kate commented.

"I'll make that light I made in the alley a couple of days ago," Nahla told her. "It will be fine."

Since she was the one with the light, she led the way. She wiggled her left fingers as she started down the stairs, and a ball of light appeared over them. Kate saw her shudder.

"I hate spiders," she announced.

"Just get going," Jacek said.

She flicked a glare at him over her shoulder. "You're not the one who has to blaze a trail through an hour's worth of cobwebs."

Kate went second, her hand going for her gun. She felt Nahla's sword belt instead. Wanting to feel some cold metal comfort, she slid her hand across the pommel and laid her fingers lightly against the grip.

She could hear Jacek behind her. His heavy, even tread was a comfort in itself. She didn't completely trust him where Castle was concerned, but she knew enough about him now to be grateful when he was at her back.

The stairway was damp and smelled of earth. The walls were dirt, but the stairs were stone. Very old stone. They were pitted and cracked from the ages. Kate thought they might once have been white, but they were dingy and gray under the pale light above Nahla's hand.

The stairs were narrow. If Kate wanted to touch the walls on either side, she would have been able to do so with her elbows bent. She didn't, of course, because the wall was covered with bugs and cobwebs and other things Kate didn't quite want to look too closely at.

The cobwebs were all around. They hung down the wall and tried to tangle in Kate's hair from the ceiling. Some even brushed at her face like a lover.

The stairs were short, at least. Kate had been watching her feet to make sure she wouldn't fall and was surprised to suddenly find herself at the bottom of the staircase.

The corridor in front of them was just as narrow as the stairs had been and Kate was glad she wasn't claustrophobic. It also had a low ceiling. Kate had a sudden flash of being inside a coffin, but she pushed the image away.

Nahla held the light up over her head, illuminating the way. It was just a long narrow tunnel filled with nothing but dirt and age.

"I think they used magic to reinforce this," Nahla said. Her voice echoed loudly in the small space.

"As long as it doesn't fall down on us," Kate told her.

"It shouldn't."

"I'd rather hear it won't."

"It's a long walk to the prison," Jacek said pointedly.

"All right, I'm going." There was no mistaking the cross tone in Nahla's voice.

The young woman started forward, her hands timidly parting strands of cobwebs. Kate followed her, eyeing the broken cobwebs with disgust. This was definitely not going to be the best hour of her life.

XXX

The people at the front desk were slack. He could tell that when he entered and they were talking quietly instead of working. It didn't matter if it was one in the morning. That was no excuse for not remaining diligent. They would deserve everything the press would soon be saying about them.

The employees looked up as he came in. He smiled his most friendly smile and waved. The pretty one smiled back as he headed for the elevators. It was so easy. All he had to do was act as if he belonged.

It was too bad they didn't know about the key card in his pocket—the one belonging to the maid who screamed so much when she died that it gave Michael a headache.

XXX

The narrow passageway grated on Kate's nerves. It had been grating on them every minute for the past hour. Nahla had been uncharacteristically quiet, and it was hard to tell what was going on in the younger woman's mind.

Jacek was also quiet, but that was nothing unusual. He even moved quietly and, unlike on the stairs, Kate could barely hear him. She kept checking over her shoulder to see if he was still there.

"Look," Nahla said quietly. "Ahead. I think that's the end."

She held her hand higher so that Kate and Jacek could see. The corridor ended up ahead with another set of ancient stone stairs.

Kate couldn't wait to get out of the tunnel. She could feel the dirt and grime on her face, and her skin crawled with the feeling of dozens of spiders dancing over it. She didn't know if this was real or imagined, but she didn't really want to. Some things were best not to know.

"At the top of the stairs, we should find a storage room. It was long abandoned the last time Lill mentioned it, but we should be careful in case it is in use again."

Kate nodded when Nahla looked back to see if she'd heard.

As her friend started upwards, Kate felt a flutter in her belly. She hated walking into the unknown—and this was about the most unknown situation she had ever been in.

This staircase, like the first, was short. It ended in a normal door, one that was vertical and not horizontal. Nahla made some gestures in front of it, but this time she didn't speak.

When she opened the door, it moved smoothly on its hinges, making no sound. Kate coughed as more dust rose around her and tried to cut off her breath.

On this side, the door was a very old painting. In it, a pretty blond haired woman held an equally blond haired boy on her lap. The woman looked a bit like Nahla.

After Jacek was through, they swung back the painting. It fit seamlessly into the wall, and it was impossible to tell there was a door there.

The storage room was fairly large and full of junk. Old tables, worn tapestries, a few voluminous gowns. Everything was covered with a thick layer of dust. Kate studied it and decided that it hadn't seen use in awhile. If possible, it might be a good exit for their escape.

"Where do we go from here?" she asked Nahla as quietly as she could.

"We go left to go to the main part of the keep. To the right is just more unused rooms."

"How can we know this room again, in case we make our escape this way?"

"Lill said it was the fifth room on the right side of the corridor."

"Can you find the corridor again?"

"Hopefully we'll find some landmarks."

"I'll find it," Jacek said firmly.

Kate had already seen that he had an excellent sense of direction. He could probably find any place he'd been to once. Still, she was worried about finding this room if, in the end, Jacek tried to kill Castle and the two of them had to escape alone. She decided to pay special attention in case she had to find this place on her own.

When Kate opened the door into the corridor, there was no sound. This door, like the others, had been well maintained. Her guess was that it was the work of the illusive Lill.

The corridor was dark and cobwebby. Kate sighed softly to herself. She had seen enough cobwebs and spiders over the past hour to last her a lifetime. There were small slitted windows near the ceiling, several feet above Kate's head, so some light came in to show them the way. When Nahla entered the corridor, she let her light go out. When she did, she stumbled a little. Kate reached out and steadied her.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

"I've never had to maintain one for so long," Nahla whispered back, "but I'm fine."

"You sure?"

She nodded.

The three of them headed to the left, walking as quietly as they could. The hallway was empty, except for the occasional tattered tapestry or faded painting. Kate wondered if any of the rest of them had secret passageways behind them.

"When we get back to the main part of the keep, where should we go?" Kate asked Nahla in hushed tones.

"I don't know. Aren't dungeons in lower levels?"

"Do you have any way to track him? Is there any kind of magic you can use?" That was one sentence Kate would never have imagined she'd be saying.

"It could take us hours to find him," Jacek mumbled beside her.

Nahla ignored him and said, "I don't think so. If there is, I don't know it. My mother might even be able to do something with you, since you are here through Richard Castle's magic. I wish I could. It would save us so much time."

"It's all right. We'll find him. Somehow."

Kate wasn't going to get this close and give up. Somewhere nearby, there was a living, breathing Castle, one who was not lying in a hospital bed in a never ending sleep.

When they got to the end of the corridor, Nahla lead them down another and then another. Kate had lost track of the twists and turns by the time she started seeing footprints in the dust.

"We're getting close to the used part of the prison," Nahla whispered unnecessarily.

What they were going to do from there, Kate had no idea.

XXX

Rick felt as if he were a child again. The two silent servants, who he had nicknamed Frick and Frack in his mind, brought him to a huge bathing chamber. The room was full of steam and the tub was a waist deep pool. There was also a flowery scent to the air. Rick wasn't sure if it came from the water or the soaps and shampoos laid out along the side of the bath.

The servants had stripped Rick, with no thoughts of modesty, and scrubbed him until his skin was red and sore. Afterwards, they ducked him under—with no warning—and cleaned his hair.

When they were satisfied he was completely clean, they led him out of the pool and ruthlessly toweled him dry. At least afterwards they allowed him the dignity of a robe.

Now, he was sitting in a chair while the two men hovered over him. One was sharpening the most evil looking straight razor Rick had ever seen. He might have made a run for it, but he knew there was a big, burly guard outside the door.

He just hoped Frick and Frack knew what they were doing. With the luck he'd been having lately, one of them would slit his throat.

XXX

It seemed as if they had been searching forever.

The hallway they had taken from the secret passage led to a place near the kitchens. They had barely avoided the kitchen staff and had taken a completely random corridor. They were silent now, afraid they would run into someone at any moment.

The walls were even more stark in this part of the prison than they were in the unused part. The cold gray stone was unbroken by any splashes of color whatsoever.

The whole place had a dark, heavy air to it, as if all the pain and fear people experienced there had soaked into the walls. Kate felt it as a dark and heavy weight on her spirit. She tried to ignore it as she opened a nearby door and peered inside. They had been listening at doors and opening them at random since arriving in the used part of the keep. So far, they had been lucky not to come face to face with a servant in one of the rooms. Kate was starting to feel frustrated and helpless. She was focusing on dampening this feeling when she bumped into Nahla, who had stopped without Kate's noticing.

"Omph."

Nahla turned to look at her, the younger woman's eyes wide.

"Kate," she whispered.

"What?"

"I thought of something."

"What kind of something?"

"I've figured out how to find your Richard Castle."

"Shut the front door." Kate couldn't help it, the words just slipped out.

"What?"

"Never mind. What is it? What have you thought of?"

"It's a spell for lost objects. You know: shoes, jewelry, your pack, things like that."

"It won't work," Jacek argued. "Richard Castle is not a house key."

"But shouldn't it work on the same idea? Kate's lost him and wants to find him."

"That's pretty slim," Kate told her, reluctantly agreeing with Jacek.

"I don't think so, especially since you are already connected to him."

"Has anyone ever used this for a person before?"

"I honestly don't know, but they might have. It's a pretty simple spell."

"Well, at this point, I'll try anything. What do I do?"

"First, you think of holding the object in your hand."

Kate raised an eyebrow at her.

"With Richard Castle, maybe you should think of a time when you touched him when he was awake and firmly in one world. Also, we have to describe him. Or, I do, anyway, since I'll be doing the spell. I'll have to be touching you, since the picture will be in your mind. With a key or a shoe, we describe it physically but, since he's a person, we should use words to describe who he really is."

Kate frowned and thought about this. "He's a writer. A devoted father. A son. He's my friend."

"What else, Kate?"

"Well...he's a good poker player. He has blue eyes. Very blue eyes. He's tall...strong...sweet...He once stole a police horse and rode it naked through the streets of New York."

"Why would he do such a thing?"

Kate shrugged. "For fun. That's just Castle. He's a child who will never grow up, but he's also the most stable person in his daughter's life. Do you think this will help at all?"

"Yes, I think so. Close your eyes, Kate."

Kate obeyed while Jacek stood guard.

"Think of it, Kate. Think of a time you were touching him and what he looked like and what he felt like."

Kate felt Nahla reach out and touch her hand as she searched for a memory. There was one sitting there, right on the surface, begging for her notice.

The night was dark, and she had found him sitting alone. There was something broken about him. She had never seen him like that before, and it scared her a little.

She knew why he hurt. She lived with that same pain herself every day. There was nothing you could do about it, nothing anybody could do to change it. It was something you had to endure as a police officer.

She hated seeing him broken.

The only thing she could think to do for him was to offer to share the pain with him. Kate had touched him then. First, his knee, then his hand. Their fingers had twined and they had sat there in silence. That simple connection had said all they needed to say.

Kate heard Nahla begin to speak, but she ignored her as she delved further into the memory.

His hand had been warm. Despite the chill in the air, his fingers had heated hers. His hands were gentle, the skin soft. The memory was so strong that Kate could almost feel his hand in hers again.

"Okay, it's done," Nahla said quietly. Kate was concentrating so hard that she almost didn't hear her. Nahla no longer touched her, but she could still feel Castle's hand.

She opened her eyes. "Did it work?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"What do you mean?"

"Can you feel him?"

She looked at Nahla blankly. "Feel him?"

"Yeah. The way it feels with objects is that you are inclined to go in a certain direction."

"But...but you did the spell."

"Yes, but you're the one who lost him. That's how it works."

For a second, Kate was horrified. "You placed the spell on me?"

"Actually, if it worked, I put the spell on him. It just works through you."

Kate stared at her.

"I didn't think you would mind. You've been living inside Richard Castle's magic for weeks."

"Can we get on with it?" Jacek asked, looking around nervously. "Have you forgotten where we are?"

Actually, she had. She pushed away her discomfort and asked softly, "What is this inclination supposed to feel like?"

"It's different for everybody," Nahla told her.

That did not help at all. Kate closed her eyes and searched inside of herself. She couldn't feel anything different.

With her eyes still closed, she walked down the hallway. Nothing happened, so she turned and walked the other way. A warm feeling suddenly surrounded her. It felt like a mother's hug or being wrapped in a warm blanket watching movies on a cold winter's day with the snow falling outside the window. It was hot chocolate and laughter. Comfort.

She stopped and asked, "How strong are these inclinations usually, and how long do they last?"

"The strength usually depends on how badly you want to find the object that's lost, and the feeling goes away as soon as you find it. Why?"

"I think the spell worked."

Nahla's face brightened. "It did?"

"Which way?" Jacek grunted.

"This way." Kate continued down the corridor, and the warm feeling from the spell made her smile despite the danger. After a minute, she said, "And down."

"Underground?"

"Either that or on the level we just came from."

They had recently come up from the kitchen floor. It looked as if they had made a mistake. Kate had no idea how she knew this. She just did.

"So, we need to look for a stairway," Jacek said.

Kate closed her eyes and tuned out the cousins. They stopped talking and followed her quietly. Nahla came up beside her, and Kate trusted her to warn her of any danger.

They stopped looking in random rooms because Kate knew they weren't close enough yet. Instead, they followed random corridors leading in the right direction, hoping to find a stairwell.

Kate's eyes flew open at a hiss from Jacek. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but held her tongue when he raised his hand sharply.

"There's someone coming," he breathed. If he wasn't so close, she never would have heard him.

Kate didn't hear anyone. She strained to listen, but there were no tell tale signs. Still, when Jacek started looking for a door to duck into, she followed suit.

It was a long corridor with windows on one side and blank stone on the other. There hadn't been a door for awhile.

Kate started to hear movement behind her and couldn't fault Jacek's instincts. The three of them hurried forward as voices got closer.

The line of windows ended, leading to a section that branched off in two directions. One was a small corridor that ended in a fat, round room. The other was a door filled hallway. They took the second and quietly opened the first door they came to.

It was a mistake.

The room was a sitting room of some kind, opulent like the corridors had not been. Everything was done in shades of white and scarlet. There was one bookcase near a large widow that had neat little brown leather bound books. A huge stone fireplace covered one wall, and there was a fire roaring inside of it.

On the small, elegant white couch in the middle of the room, two young servants were kissing. They both looked up as the door opened, and Kate saw the boy's mouth open in a little 'o'. The girl went completely white and opened her mouth to scream.

"Please don't do that," Nahla said, holding up her hands as if she thought she could physically hold the noise.

It didn't work. The scream burst forth, and Kate could hear the sound of running feet.

"Shut her up," Jacek ordered the terrified looking boy. When he didn't move, Jacek took out a knife and said, "Shut her up or I'll do it for you."

The boy's mouth clamped shut, and he reached out and cut off her scream with his hand.

"Smart boy."

That still didn't do anything about the people in the hallway. The teenagers didn't move, so Jacek turned his focus to the door. Two men burst in. One of them was large, bigger even than Jacek, and had a weapon in his hand. The other was smaller and older. What little hair he had fringed his bony head. The big man was dressed much like Jacek and Nahla, but the bald man was wearing expensive looking robes.

"What is going on h..." His very official sounding voice died off as he saw Kate, Jacek, and Nahla. At the sight of them, his face grew red.

"Hi," Nahla said perkily, though Kate had no idea what good that was supposed to do.

"What are you doing here?"

"Uh..."

Without waiting for an answer, he turned to his companion. "Kill them."

The big man grinned and swung his weapon at Jacek. The other man had been ready and met steel with steel.

"Why is everybody so ready to take everyone else's head off in this place?" Kate asked Nahla.

The girl shrugged. "It's not like this at home."

Kate saw the small, older man head for the door. She rushed forward to stop him. It wasn't much of a struggle. He was thin and wiry, but he didn't have much strength. She grabbed him and wrestled him to the floor. All the while, the ring of steel echoed around her.

"Watch the kids," Kate told Nahla. "If they leave, they'll tell Rithisak we're here."

Nahla nodded and went over to where the silent teenagers were holding each other. Kate watched a second to make sure her friend wouldn't get ambushed by a double attack. The kids didn't move. Satisfied, she settled more firmly on the man's back and pulled his arms backwards. He was throwing out curses and threats, and Kate wished she had a gag. Roughly holding his wrists with one hand, she struggled to undo the sword belt at her waist.

While the man wiggled and squirmed, she managed to use her other hand to slide the sheath off the belt. She then wrapped the belt around and around her captive's hands and tied it. She felt more like a cowboy than a cop, but it did the job.

"You will be flayed alive..." the man was saying.

"Oh, please, shut up," she said, grabbing a small cushion nearby and shoving it into his mouth.

"Thank you," Nahla said. "That was getting annoying."

"You should find something to tie the servants up with too. We don't want anyone to find them until we're out of here."

"Good idea," Nahla agreed, eyeing the fancy silk curtains.

Kate turned her attention to Jacek and his huge opponent. The two of them were still fiercely trading blows. They were also noisy and wasting time. Plus, no one else was going to die if she could help it.

Her searching eyes clamped on a big elegant vase by the fireplace. She went over and retrieved it, deciding to try something she had seen in the movies. She had no idea if it would work in real life, but figured it couldn't hurt to try.

She grabbed the vase and came up behind the man Jacek was fighting. The two of them were moving quickly, so it took anticipation on her part. When the guy was moving in the right direction, she smashed the vase as hard as she could against his head. Her blow was so hard that the vase shattered. Most of the pieces that fell sprayed the large man or fell harmlessly to the floor, but Kate felt a sting as two shards nicked her face. That never happened in the movies.

Both Jacek and the man stopped fighting. Kate could see a comical look of surprise on Jacek's face. Before either of them could recover, Jacek's opponent suddenly dropped like a stone. A very large stone.

"I can't believe it worked," Kate said without thinking.

Jacek prepared to skewer his unconscious attacker, but Kate put a hand on his wrist. When he looked at her, she asked, "Hasn't this place seen enough death?"

He seemed to consider this, then gave a sharp nod and put his blade away.

Nahla had already finished tying up the servants with the curtains. Jacek took what was left and bound his opponent's hands and feet. He gagged him as well. When they were sure everyone was tightly tied and incapacitated, the three of them cautiously left the room.

Kate had a feeling they should go back and take the other corridor, so they backtracked the few feet to the split. When they started towards the large round room, Kate felt as if someone were giving her a warm, loving hug.

"It's definitely this way," she said quietly.

They entered the room slowly, though there were no sounds. The room was even larger than it had looked from down the hallway. It was a red and gold room with expensive rugs on the floors and expensive tapestries on the walls. Big windows let in lots of light, and chairs and couches ringed one wall. In one corner of the room, a set of stairs led both up and down. Kate headed for these without hesitation.

As she went down the stairs, the feeling of warmth and comfort increased. It was so strong that it almost obliterated all of her fear.

She led her companions unfailingly down three different hallways, all of them leading in the same general direction. Eventually, they came to a section where the ceilings were at least two stories high and the corridor was as wide as two average rooms put together. There were several doors on both sides of the corridor, and Kate knew that Castle was behind one of those doors. She didn't know how she knew; she just did.

"Here's here," she whispered. "Somewhere."

Even that little bit of noise echoed slightly, and she hoped no one would come out of any of the doors. There was nowhere to hide in a hallway that large.

They split up and started opening doors. There were pools and bathing chambers and dressing rooms and even a neglected play room. All of them were humongous...and empty.

They were running out of rooms, and Kate was about to despair, when their hallway took a sharp turn. As they went around it, they saw a man leaning against the wall. He had his arms folded over his massive chest and there was a bored look on his face.

A guard?

The three of them ducked back around the corner, and Kate leaned into Nahla.

"Can you use your sleep spell?" she breathed into the other woman's ear.

Nahla nodded and started mumbling to herself. When she was done, she quickly turned the corner, and an arc of lightning flew from her fingers. It hit the man and he grunted before sliding down the wall.

Kate rushed forward, leaving Nahla and Jacek behind. She ran towards the room the guard had been guarding, and the feeling of unconditional love got so strong it made her want to cry.

She flung open the door, not caring that there might be more guards.

This room was another bathing room, full of hot air and steam. As soon as Kate entered, a strange feeling went through her. A tinkle like broken glass sounded in her mind, and there was a lurch inside of her chest. It felt almost as if something were painlessly pulled out of her through her skin. Suddenly, the feeling of loving warmth left her.

"Kate?"

The voice almost stopped her heart.

Her eyes searched the steamy room and landed on three figures. Two of them were young, younger than Nahla, and obviously identical twins. The other face, her gaze drank in hungrily. They had shaved his beard and cut his hair. Besides being pasty and unusually thin, he looked a lot like his old self.

"Castle?"

He jumped out of his chair, and Kate saw he was clad in only a thin robe.

When he jumped up, his two keepers looked at each other. Kate could see the two of them were both scared and unarmed. She ignored them. Nahla and Jacek could deal with them.

Her legs were suddenly moving her forward again. She felt an irrational fear that Castle would disappear and she would have to find him all over again.

As she reached Castle, her arms, almost of their own accord, flew around him. She had only ever hugged him, really hugged him, once before. It had been in an exhausted, emotionally drained moment of shared triumph. This hug was different. She wanted to know that he was really there, that he was real.

The hug was tight but brief as she fought with emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. By the time she pulled away, they were back under control.

She searched his face, still not sure she could believe it was really him.

"You came!" he said. There was a hint of wonder in his voice.

"I said I would, didn't I?"

He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

Kate was vaguely aware of Nahla and Jacek entering the room and of Nahla using her sleep spell on the twins.

"Do you know where I am?" Castle asked.

"Would you believe me if I said you are in a parallel world that you can only reach when you are asleep?"

He thought about this. "Maybe."

"Have you ever heard of a Shadow Walker?"

"Do you know what a Shadow Walker is?" His face showed he was eager for the answer.

"Yes..."

"We've got to get out of here, Kate," Jacek said.

"...but there's no time to explain. If we don't get out of here, we'll probably both die."

"You know about the guy who wants to kill me?"

"Us, Castle. The guy who wants to kill us. Now, come on."

"Can I get some clothes?"

"You can get all you want once we get home."

"Home? You can get us home?"

"Actually, you...Never mind. Yes, I can get us home."

"Let's go," Jacek said.

"Who are you?"

Jacek glowered at him, and Kate instinctively stepped in front of Castle.

"I'm Nahla," Nahla said, "and this is my cousin, Jacek. We've come to find you and help you escape."

"Which we won't do if we don't get moving," Jacek pointed out.

They left the room with Nahla in the lead. Then came Kate with Castle, and Jacek was in the rear. They knew the general direction of the kitchen, and they knew if they got there, they could find the underground tunnel. And somewhere along that tunnel, Kate and Castle could go home for good.

They passed the sleeping guard, and Kate bent to make sure he was still asleep. Soft snores came from his body, and he showed no signs of stirring.

The three of them hurried through the corridors, back towards the kitchen and the secret passageway. Kate was impatient and it seemed to take forever. Now that she had Castle with her, she just wanted to get him to safety.

When they ran into Rithisak, she was almost as stunned as he was.

XXX

Kate, Castle, Nahla, and Jacek went around a corner and came face to face with a tall, balding man with a regal, stone-like face. He had such an air of power around him that Kate could physically feel it, and he knew he had to be Rithisak. Behind him were two huge men that made Castle look like somebody's discarded doll.

His eyes widened as he took in Nahla and Jacek and then Kate and Castle. After just a few seconds, a smile came to his face. It was the creepiest thing Kate had ever seen.

"Going somewhere, Richard Castle?" he asked.

Although he spoke to Castle, his eyes were on Kate. She knew with deadly certainty that he had figured out, with just that one glance, that she was the one Castle had brought with him.

"Just for a walk," Castle said brightly. "After a month in that cell, I needed some exercise."

"Funny, Mr. Castle. Very funny." His voice reminded Kate of hate mail. Threatening letters from psychotics that were unremarkable and almost normal in their madness.

"No, really," Castle protested innocently.

"You are walking the wrong way," Rithisak said calmly. "The ritual chamber is this way."

Kate had a fleeting thought of outrunning the sorcerer and his two thugs. As if he heard her thoughts, Rithisak glanced at her.

"There is no escape, friend of Richard Castle. If you try to run, I will stop you."

She looked at Jacek, who still had his blade drawn. The swordsman was frowning so deeply, it looked as if he might crack his face. Murderous anger lurked in his eyes. Suddenly, he snarled and lunged at Rithisak.

The sorcerer held up his hand and said a word. Jacek froze in mid motion. He was as still as stone.

"Jacek!" Nahla cried out and touched her cousin's arm.

Kate put her body in between the sorcerer and Castle. There was no way she was going to lose him again.

"Take them," Rithisak ordered.

His Neanderthals moved forward, quick for their size.

"You have a decision to make now, friend of Richard Castle," Rithisak said as one of the men reached for Nahla. The small Mystic danced out of the way and held out her hand. He backhanded her as she was about to speak, and her spell went unsaid. She tumbled to the stone with the force of the blow.

"Leave her alone," Kate said, torn between her desire to save Castle and her concern for Nahla.

Rithisak continued as if she hadn't spoken. "You must decide whether to wake yourself up and leave Richard Castle to his fate or to stay here and try to save him. If you try the former, he dies and I win. If you try the latter, you will fail, both of you will die, and I win. Either way, I gain the power to Shadow Walk."

"Maybe you'd better leave, Beckett," Castle said seriously.

She glanced back over her shoulder. "I'm not leaving you here."

"How touching," Rithisak sneered.

The other one of his goons reached for her, and she batted his hands away.

"No need to be so gentle, Yerik. They only have to be alive. Broken is okay."

This time, the man grabbed her roughly. Kate struggled but was unable to break free. Her blows had no effect on him, and she felt as if she were hitting rocks. She was helpless as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

Rithisak took Castle's arm almost gently. "Your rescuers are all subdued, Castle. Will you come quietly?"

Kate struggled more. If she could just free herself, maybe she could save him. Even if she threw him out of a window and he woke up. She'd do anything to save him...

XXX

The blow was completely unexpected. Her face stung and she was seeing stars. Kate blinked, confused, as another blow split her lip. The gorilla had overpowered her, why was he beating her? And why was she looking up and not down?

Light burned into her eyes, and she tried to blink tears away. What was going on? Had she passed out?

A face swam in front of her. She tried to focus on it, but her head was ringing.

"How dare you cheat on me?" A voice roared. "You'll have to pay. You're mine. Mine!"

The voice stabbed into her brain. That face. She knew that face. Where did she know it from? It wasn't Rithisak or any of his toys. Who then?

"Are you listening to me? Sit up when I speak to you."

There was a glitter of metal and things fell into place. Woon. Michael Woon. But he wasn't in the Prison of Darkness. He was in New Jersey or New York City.

She was awake.

Rough hands picked her up and shook her, shaking the last of her sleep away. The knife in his hand was cold against her skin but miraculously didn't cut her.

She didn't have time for this. She had to go back and save Castle. It might already be too late.

When he let go of her to hit her again, she lunged at him.

"Mine," he said again as she tackled him to the floor. "You are mine!"

She went for the knife, trying to pry it from his grip. Despite his chunky build, the man was strong and refused to let go. They grappled for it, a mass of arms, legs, elbows, and knees.

He broke free and rolled away. Kate grabbed for him and missed. She was rewarded with an elbow to the cheek. It really hurt. She winced and felt blood drip down from the nicks she had received earlier as they reopened.

Woon scrambled to his feet, and Kate was right behind him. He grinned at her.

"You know you're mine, now."

"I'm not yours, Michael. I never was, and I never will be," she said calmly.

His face twisted, and he lashed at her with the knife. "If I can't have you, no one can."

"You don't even know me."

"Of course I know you. I love you."

He came closer, and his face softened. Kate thought she might be able to get the knife from him, so she reached for it. Woon surprised her by grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him. He raised the knife so that the tip was touching her chin.

"Give me the knife, Michael. No one needs to get hurt."

"I saw you with him," he said quietly. "I saw him hug you and kiss you. No one is allowed to hug you and kiss you but me. You have to be punished. You must see it."

He put a little pressure on the knife, and it split the skin slightly, adding another trickle of blood to the ones already running down her face. Kate could taste the blood from her lip. It filled her mouth with a coppery tang.

Woon took the knife and lovingly caressed her neck with it. Kate didn't even dare to swallow.

"You have to know this is for your own good."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to kill you," he said sadly. "It's the only way."

The knife came up to gently touch her cheek as it had her neck. She gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to snarl.

"Sit down," he told her, taking the knife away. "I want you to tell me why you thought you could get away with..."

Suddenly, the door burst open. It banged loudly and two men came through looking fierce and terrible.

"Put the knife down," Esposito roared.

Both he and Ryan were wearing their vests, and there guns were pointed at Michael Woon.

A ripple of shock went over Woon's face. In his moment of inattention, Kate knocked the knife out of his limp hand and threw him to the floor on his face. He struggled, but she had no time for his nonsense.

"Cuffs," she grunted, holding out her hand.

Ryan put his gun away and handed her his. Esposito's arm never wavered. His face was full of fury and determination. He didn't move until Kate had Woon securely handcuffed.

"Nice timing, boys," Kate said as she got to her feet. She swayed slightly and the room spun. She chalked it up to the repeated blows to the face.

"Are you okay?" Esposito demanded.

"Just a little banged up." She imagined what she must look like to them with her face bleeding and swelling and full of bruises—or at least it would be soon.

"Someone reported seeing him here. We had his picture in every hotel and bus station in the city. If we had only figured out his obsession with you sooner..."

"Hey, you caught him."

"Do you need a doctor?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, wiping at her lip with her arm. "I've got to go back."

He frowned at her. "Back where?"

"To sleep. I have to get back to sleep." Now that the scene with Michael was over, her fear for Castle returned to hit her right between the eyes. Her body began to tremble as she thought of how much time might already have passed. Urgency clenched her stomach, and she found herself balling her hands into fists.

Esposito shared a look with Ryan and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"You don't understand," she said in exasperation, not daring to explain. "Everything will be fine if I just go back to sleep."

"You're going to a hospital. I want a doctor to look at you."

Kate shook her head.

"I want you to get checked for a concussion. I'm not leaving without you."

Kate's eyes widened at his tone. She was used to having him obey her without question. His eyes were full of concern but firm. Kate glanced at Ryan. The usually easy going detective was nodding in agreement.

"If you take me to the hospital, who is going to bring him in?" She indicated Woon, who was glaring at them from the floor.

"I'll bring him in," Esposito conceded, "but you've got to agree to go to the hospital with Ryan."

"Fine. Fine. Just hurry."

The two men picked Woon off of the floor. While they were distracted, Kate tucked her gun into the waistband of her jeans and covered it with her shirt.

As she grabbed her coat, Kate glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning. There shouldn't be many people in the halls. Even Grace Lowe, another permanent resident of the hotel who walked her cat, Ace, at unusual hours, would be long in bed.

Esposito went with Woon in his car, so Kevin had to drive Kate's. He opened her door and buckled her belt as if she were an invalid. When he slipped into the driver's side, he reached into his pocket and fished out a hanky. It was a fancy linen one, embroidered with the initials "K.R."

"Here, you might need this."

She took the handkerchief from him and dabbed at all the places that stung. She couldn't help but wince when she touched her swollen lip.

As Ryan pulled into traffic, exhaustion hit. Kate leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Maybe she could go to sleep. Maybe she would be on time...

XXX

Rick stood in the middle of a spooky circle trying to wiggle his way out of invisible bonds. The room was round and stuffy. There were no windows, and the only light came from several sconces scattered around the room. Their flames flickered along the walls and floor, making the already creepy room even creepier.

It was filled with all manner of strange things. In fact, to Rick, it looked like every evil sorcerer lair he had ever imagined or seen in the movies. If the situation wouldn't have been so dire, he probably would have laughed at the cliche. There were dead things in jars, evil looking instruments and containers, and books everywhere.

Beckett's friends were nearby. The man was slumped over on the floor and the girl, not much older than Alexis, was being held by one of the goons.

They had been brought here soon after Beckett disappeared. Rick had fought and struggled, but his captor seemed to have hands of iron and arms of steel.

The sorcerer had easily put him in the circle and, once in, Rick hadn't been able to get out. He still had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he was no longer in New York and that something had happened to Beckett. She never would have left voluntarily. He hoped she was safe.

As if being put in the circle wasn't bad enough, the sorcerer had also wrapped him in chains he couldn't see so he couldn't move. All he could do was watch the man sharpen his evil looking knife. The hilt was jeweled and the blade was curved. Rick had a feeling that he was going to become intimately familiar with it.

The scraping of blade on stone seemed to go on forever. The sound reached into Rick's mind and set his teeth on edge.

His thoughts turned to Alexis as the chanting started. If he died, he would never see her grow up. He wouldn't be there when she needed him. He ached for the hurt she would feel.

Rick's hope was almost gone when the door to the chamber flew open. His jaw dropped at the vision that entered. Kate's face and been nicked and worn the last time he saw her, but now it was battered and bruised. She looked as if someone had used her for a punching bag.

Still, she was glorious. Her long hair was unbound, and there was fire blazing in her green eyes. Her jeans and shirt were torn, but the jacket over top showed none of the same wear.

She strode into that evil den as if she owned the place. The look she gave the evil sorcerer was one Rick had only had aimed at him once before. Once was enough.

"If you want a fight, Rithisak," she said calmly, "you've got one."

The sorcerer stopped chanting, and Rick found he could move again. He waved his arms around a few times just to make sure. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jacek begin to stir. He tried to leave the circle, but an invisible barrier held him back.

Rithisak, as she had called him, turned to look at her. Rick could hear the sneer in his voice as he said, "The only power you have is borrowed from Richard Castle. I have nothing to fear from you."

Beckett just gave him one of her amused, condescending smiles. She was good at those.

Angrily, his attention still distracted from Rick and Jacek, the sorcerer raised his hand towards Beckett. An arc of flame shot from his fingers.

Beckett was fast. She dropped and rolled behind a nearby table piled high with books. Rithisak's flame scorched the door and nothing more.

Protected, mostly, by the table, Rick saw Beckett's head pop up. There was a loud noise and a flash. The bullet went wide and dug into the stone of the wall. Another arc of fire shot from Rithisak's hand. It ignited Beckett's table, and Castle held his breath. Fear for her made his palms start to sweat, and he had to sit down.

Another shot rang out. This time, it didn't come from behind the table but a little to the left. Rick could barely see Beckett behind a big stuffed chair.

The sorcerer let out a cry as the bullet tore into the flesh of his shoulder. He staggered but didn't fall, his face as white as milk. Pain and fury twisted his face into a horrific mask. He began to chant, spitting out the words and rubbing his uninjured hand through his own blood. He rubbed it through his fingers and he seemed to crackle with power.

Rick forced himself to his feet, determined to stop him before he killed Becket...Somehow. If he could get out of the circle, he would tackle the other man to the ground.

The sorcerer stopped chanting in mid word, and his body went stiff. His breath went all bubbly. From his vantage point of seeing Rithisak from the side, Rick saw two things happen. One, blood started to pour from Rithisak's mouth and flow down his chin. The second was that the hilt of a knife suddenly sprouted from the sorcerer's back like the handle of a toy. Rithisak struggled for a fraction of a second, fighting the inevitable, before pitching forward.

Jacek, who was swordless but apparently not daggerless, was calmly getting to his feet. A satisfied expression lightened his stern face. Nahla, her guard asleep at her feet, ran to her cousin and threw her arms around him. There were tears on her face.

The sound of someone coughing brought Rick's attention away from them, and he was rushing from the circle.

"Kate!" he cried.

The room was filling with smoke. The table was still crackling and burning merrily, and Rick had a sudden flashback of fighting his way through flames for her before.

"I'm okay," she said, appearing from behind the chair. A smudge of ash had joined the blood on her cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Other than losing a couple of years of my life from fright? Yeah, I'm okay."

The corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile as her eyes searched his face.

"Now, can you tell me what's going on?" he pleaded.

"Soon, Castle. We've got to get out of here." She looked over at Nahla and Jacek. "Are you okay?"

Nahla, still tightly holding onto her cousin, said, "I think so." Her voice was shaky, and she sounded very young.

"Other than angry that the bastard broke my best sword?" Jacek echoed Rick, "Yeah, I'm okay too."

"Great. Why don't we get out of here?"

"Good idea." The warrior stopped to check Rithisak and retrieve his dagger. "He's dead."

Rick saw Kate avoid looking at the sorcerer. "Thanks for having my back, Jacek."

"No problem."

XXX

As they made their way through the keep, Kate found herself glancing at Castle often. It was hard for her to believe that he was finally there with her.

The four of them went quietly, afraid they would get caught before they could escape. If they were lucky, they'd reach the tunnel before anyone knew Rithisak was dead.

Though Jacek acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Nahla looked a little worse for wear. Her face was too pale, and her eyes were too wide. Kate hoped she would be able to put this experience behind her.

The ritual chamber wasn't far from the bathing chamber Kate had found Rick in. She saw recognition go over his face as they traveled quickly down the long, door lined hallway.

They didn't see anyone as they moved further into the prison towards the kitchens. Mouth watering smells made Kate's stomach growl. She was also feeling light headed and a little dizzy, but that could have been living through two fights in as many hours. Her head still hurt from repeated blows from Michael Woon's large hands.

"Do you think anyone would notice if we snuck in for a piece of whatever smells so good?" Castle asked as if in response to her thoughts.

"We can eat when we're safe," she told him.

Besides the clinking of pans as they passed the kitchens, the Prison of Darkness was as quiet as a tomb. It was almost as if it knew its master was dead.

Kate tried not to think about the fact that she had left a dead man behind her. Even though she hadn't killed him, she had never intended to, it still felt as if his death were somehow her fault. She tried to focus on the fact that Rithisak was evil and move on, but it was hard.

With Jacek's remarkable sense of direction, they had no problem finding the deserted section of the keep. Footprints in the dust marked their previous passage, and they led them right to the storage room door.

Nahla was the first one there, and she opened it for the others. The room was still completely dark, so the young Mystic made one of her hovering balls of light. It wasn't quite as bright as it had been the last time.

When Nahla reached for the painting, Kate put a hand on her arm. "Wait."

"What is it?"

"Sometime very soon, when we are away from the prison, the spell it has over Castle will fade and we'll disappear. I might not get another chance to say this."

Nahla looked at her expectantly so Kate drew the younger woman to her in a quick hug.

"Thank you, Nahla, for all your help. I could never have found him without you."

Nahla returned her hug. "I'm glad I met you, Kate."

The two of them smiled at each other, and then Nahla continued, "Maybe, if your Richard Castle brings you with him in the future, I'll see you again."

"I'll wear the ring." She turned to Jacek. "I wanted to thank you too, Jacek. I was sure I'd have to protect Castle from you, and...well, I was wrong."

Jacek held out his hand and Kate shook it.

"We'd better go," he said.

As Nahla moved the painting, Castle turned to Kate with a raised eyebrow. "Your Richard Castle?"

"Don't ask."

The stone steps felt even steeper and narrower and grungier than before. Nahla started down first, then Castle, then Kate. Jacek brought up the rear.

They were about halfway down when Rick stopped and turned to say something. His mouth opened...and then he was gone. A sudden fear gripped Kate. Had Rithisak faked his own death? Had he found a way to take Castle away from her again?

XXX

Kate jerked awake to find herself in her car beside the hospital entrance.

"We're here, Beckett," Ryan said.

She turned and saw him looking at her as if she were some sort of alien thing. His eyes were full of concern and something else. Uncertainty?

Kate didn't have time to analyze it. She unbuckled and threw aside her seatbelt and opened the door. She didn't even bother to close it as she raced towards the entrance. This was the same hospital where Castle was a patient.

"Beckett? Where are you going?" She heard Ryan's voice behind her but didn't even slow down.

She received many strange looks as she ran down the halls, but no one tried to stop her. She didn't want to take the time to wait for an elevator, so she took the stairs.

On Castle's floor, Martha and Alexis were talking quietly in the lounge. Kate didn't stop to talk to them, but she waved as she went past. Both of them had identical looks of surprise on their faces, but Kate guessed that could have had as much to do with her appearance as anything else. She knew her face had suffered a little from the very long night. It had only been a couple of hours here, but it must have been about eight for her since she and her friends had entered the tunnel leading to the Prison of Darkness.

When she got to Castle's door, she slowed. She was almost afraid to open it. Reaching out, she swallowed and prepared herself.

The first thing she saw when she opened the door was a face filled with amazement. Nicole Keller, a young nurse she had gotten to know quite well since Castle's shooting, was standing there with wide eyes.

"Detective Beckett, you're just in time. He's awake...and his wound...his wound is...Excuse me. I've got to go see if his family is still here." A smile lit the nurse's face. "Oh...and tell the doctor..." Nurse Keller's voice trailed off, and she seemed to really see Kate for the first time. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kate assured her. "Go, do what you have to do."

Uncertainty went through the woman's eyes, but she nodded and rushed out of the room. Kate's gaze snapped from her retreating form to Castle.

He was sitting up in his hospital bed looking rather stunned. His eyes had turned to Kate at the nurse's words.

Shock gave way to concern. "Are you all right?"

She laughed. "I was going to ask you the same thing. Are you? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Hungry. Confused. But fine."

She sighed and walked on shaky legs to the chair beside his bed. She collapsed into it, afraid if she didn't she'd fall over.

"Did that really happen? Was that real?" he asked her.

"It felt pretty real."

"Can you tell me what happened now?"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, wondering how to explain.

"Well," she finally started. "I guess it all started with the concept of Shadow Walking..."

That was as far as she got before the door burst open to reveal an exuberant redhead.

"Dad!" The girl ran in and leaped at her father. Castle was ready for her and buried her in a warm and loving hug.

Martha entered the room with more dignity, but Kate could see the relief in her eyes.

"Are you finally awake, Richard?" she said calmly. "I thought you were going to sleep forever."

Kate was going to get up to give the older woman her chair, but she found she couldn't. Dizzy exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. The room began to spin, and it wouldn't stop. Gripping the chair's armrests didn't help, and Kate found herself sliding out of her chair.

Martha's cry of "Kate" was the last thing she heard before blackness swallowed her whole.

XXX

Kate woke to the sound of rain tapping on a window pane. She lay there with her eyes closed for a minute, enjoying the feeling of waking up from a deep and dreamless sleep.

Her body was sore and definitely feeling the after effects of her struggle with Michael Woon. She wondered how a man that unstable had not set off any warning flags before he killed someone.

Her face was sore too. Even without touching it, she could feel a slight throb. She imagined it must be full of bruises by now. Her tongue tentatively touched her bottom lip. She winced at a twinge of pain but was satisfied to discover the swelling had gone down.

She blinked open her eyes to find herself in a small, very white hospital room. She was still in her clothes and lying on top of the sheets, so she hadn't been admitted, at least.

"Beckett?"

She turned her head to see Castle standing by the door. He was watching her with a worried frown.

"Yeah, I'm awake."

"I thought you were never going to wake up."

This comment made her chuckle as she sat up and slung her feet out onto the floor.

"You've been asleep for hours," he continued, coming towards her.

"I was tired. Being beat up and then surviving a gun fight sometimes does that to you."

He frowned, not looking amused at all. "The doctor said you don't have a concussion. You can go home at any time."

Home to her hotel room where she was attacked while she was asleep. She decided not to think about that for right now.

"Are you being released?"

"I've been released. Eight hours ago. There was nothing wrong with me, except for a little malnutrition, so there was no reason to keep me."

"Eight hours ago? How long was I asleep?"

"Sixteen hours."

"I guess I was tired." She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Your gunshot wound?"

"Nothing but a scar." He grinned. "Something to show off and help me get..."

Kate raised her hand. "Castle. Too. Much. Information."

"Sorry. Need help?"

"I've been standing on my own since I was one." To prove this, she pushed herself to her feet.

"You know," he said, watching her as if he thought she'd keel over at any moment, "you still haven't told me what happened. Where was I? How did I get there? How did you get there? How was it possible for me to be asleep in one place and awake in another?"

Kate twisted the gold band on her finger, wondering what to say. Coming from her, with her former beliefs, it would sound like hypocrisy. Still, he deserved to know. More than that, he needed to know in case something like it came up again.

"I'll tell you what, Castle. You bring me to Remy's and we'll discuss it over a big fat cheeseburger and a strawberry milkshake."

He brightened. "It's been a long time since I had one of their burgers. In fact, it's been a long time since I've eaten anything that didn't taste like mushed up newspapers. Let's go."

He held out his arm to her, and she took it. She felt a little bad for getting some of the grime off of her clothes onto his, but he didn't seem to mind.

Just before they headed out the door, he paused.

"Kate?"

"What is it?"

His eyes were very serious as he looked down at her and said, "Thanks for coming to get me."

She smiled and replied, "Any time, Castle. Any time."

The End


End file.
